


Icy Remedies

by Leticheecopae



Series: Dealings with Demons [2]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Blood, Demonstuck, Dubious Consent, Hurt/Comfort, Intercrural Sex, M/M, Minor Violence, NSFW, Oral Sex, mentions of child abuse in later chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-10
Updated: 2014-05-08
Packaged: 2018-01-08 04:08:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1128153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leticheecopae/pseuds/Leticheecopae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tavros can't take being sick anymore, he just can't. So he's going to change it, going to change himself, all he needs is a little help. The question is, is he really willing to summon a demon to do so?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be a drabble...a 200 word drabble...it's 15 pages long!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cover by [Cyanideoreo](cyanideoreo.tumblr.com)

Tavros has remade the circle three times, his legs getting in the way each time. There is paint all over the denim of his pants and his hands, and while it was a pain remaking the circle every time he smudged it, he has finally finished it. Putting on the finishing touches, he focuses on why he is doing this, what good it will do if it works.

“Why do you have to be so weak, Tavros?” Vriska had asked him last week when he had fallen out of his chair and found he couldn’t push himself up. She had just stood there and watched him struggle until she got bored, and had almost left him there in the middle of the living room on the ground. Probably would have if Tavros hadn’t been begging her to help him. Vriska hadn’t even broken a sweat lifting him into his chair.

“I’m going home,” she had told him and left him sitting in his family’s living room. Alone. It had been the first time he couldn’t get himself up into his own chair.

“There,” he says with a little pant as he looks over the circle. The chalk paint has been messier, and a little harder to use, but it doesn’t smudge like the chalk had the last time he tried. His legs, and his scooter, had kept smudging the stuff and making it worthless. It was just another thing his useless legs had tried to screw up for him. Now, with the chalk paint, he has the calling circle done, and there is no turning back. Well there is, but he won’t. He is so tired of being sick, the disease that is eating away at his body most likely going to kill him long before he’s twenty five, and he is not ready to die. Not before he’s eighteen, and with his sharp decline in health, he may not even make it those last eleven months.

“Okay,” he says, completely out of breath even though he’s been using the small square scooter to get around. Tavros’s shoulders ache as he lifts up the book he had found at an estate sale last year. No one had paid him any mind when he had picked up the book out of a box near the door, his chair keeping him stuck on the first floor while his father and brother had gone upstairs to find furniture for his dorm. There were signs of fire damage, and the box said ‘50 cents paperbacks, 1 dollar hardbacks’. The latin had spun before his eyes in its leather etchings. Something had told him he had to have it. He had purchased it while his family was still upstairs, handing the dollar over and quickly slipping it into his backpack.

Looking over the book’s picture, he studies what he has made and nods. It’s correct, from what he can tell, and that is the most important thing. The latin is hard to read, but Tavros has had plenty of time to study it. It is one of his favorite classes in school. Something worthless, like himself.

“Prepare the offerings,” Tavros translates aloud, albeit clumsily. He grabs his backpack off the floor and opens it. Inside, he finds a twelve ounce bottle of Faygo, some mini apple and cherry pies, a half frozen raw steak, five purple candles, a couple rusty bowls from the garage, a lighter, bandages, and a knife. The backpack had been a bitch to get down the stairs as he had scooted down on his butt, no doubt bruising it.

He runs his finger over the sweating bottle of soda and swallows nervously. The demon he’s trying to summon is supposed to like sweet things, but it also says to have meat, so he made do with what little money he had. The steak had been the most expensive thing, leaving very little for sweet things. All he had been able to afford were mini pies and Faygo. He hopes they will work as he carefully tore the plastic off the steak.

It’s a bit harder to scoot about while trying to hold the backpack, but Tavros manages to get the steak, Faygo, and pies into three of the five offering slots of the circle. The last two are for something personal of his and the blood sacrifice. He has his favorite Peter Pan shirt for the fourth slot, the old worn cotton still fitting his body despite its age. The fifth slot, though, Tavros is worried about. He hadn’t been able to get a live chicken, or a goat, but nowhere in the book did it say the blood of the caller couldn’t be used for the summoning. On the other hand, it also didn’t say anything about being able to use it in place of an animal sacrifice. It doesn’t change the fact that he’s still going to attempt to summon this demon, but it does make him nervous that it might not work.

“Alright,” he says with a quick nod of his head before going back to the book. He has the offerings, the circle, the candles, a lighter, and a knife. “That should be it.” He tries to ignore the waiver in his voice. This is really happening, he is about to conjure something from hell to come and fix his body. Glancing at the clock he takes a deep breathe. He has maybe two hours before his Dad gets off work, maybe three before Rufioh get back from his lunch date. He won’t get another chance if he fucks up today, not with how weak he is getting. Hell, he’s not even sure he’ll be able to get up the stairs, let alone clean up his mess if this doesn’t work. And if he gets too weak, well he won’t be able to stay home alone much longer.

Scooting around the side of the circle, he moves to the top space. Taking off his Peter Pan shirt, he wads it up and sets it into one of the old metal bowls he found in the garage; the bigger one. He really doesn’t want to light it on fire. His mother had given it to him as a kid before she past away. It had been before he had gotten really sick, before he had learned that there is no such thing as neverland. It was one of the last things he had from her, and wearing it had always made him think of her hugs. It is the most personal thing he has.

Setting the book down, he looks over the words as he rubs his hands over his thin arms and chest, the cold air of the cellar making him shiver a little. Taking a deep breath, Tavros rolls up the leg of his jeans. He’s not about to cut a healthy part of himself, but his legs? Beneath the loose denim of his pants he finds the marks from before. Sometimes he had just needed to feel something else besides the constant ache of his muscles deteriorating into nothing.

“Lord Satan,” he starts and shivers just with those word. “By your grace, grant me the power t-to, uh, conceive in my mind and to execute that which I deser-desire to do.” He stops and takes a deep breathe. What is he even doing? He can’t even keep his translations straight. Tavros takes a deep breath and keeps going. “To achieve the end that I desire by thy help, O Mighty Satan, the one True God who livest and reignest forever and ever.” The words start coming easier as he sits shivering on the scooter. “I entreet,” he pauses and looks at the circle.

“Shit,” he groans. He forgot to light the candles. Setting down the book, Tavros pushes himself around the circle, lighting the purple candles he bought at the dollar store before ending back at the top. He thinks about saying the first part again, but instead decides to dive back in. If nothing happens he can always try again. He hopes.

“I entreat thee to inspire, G-Gamzee Makara to manifest before me, and that he may provide me with ,um, answers.” He flips the page. “And so that I may accomplish my desired ends, provided that it is apart of his ability.” He swallows and hopes that he is saying this right. The demon he is calling is supposed to be one that will cause changes to the body, at least that is what he thinks he has been reading in the text. “T-this I respectfully and, um, humbly ask in Your Name, L-lord Satan, may you deem me worthy.” He pauses for a moment, sweat on his brow as he glances over the book and quickly adds, “Father.” There, the first part is done. Looking at the candles he sees the flames are all pointing straight up, a good sign as the book says. Tavros decides against resaying the first part.

“State needs and desires,” he mumbles before taking another deep breathe. “I desire the health of my body,” he beings. “That the duchenne muscular dystrophy that eats away at it will, uh, be r-removed, and that it, or any other disease, may never re-enter my body for the rest of my life.” He hopes that’s all he needs to say, that what he wants is understood. The book had said to be really specific with his desires, so he thinks that should be fine. “I also want to be less…weak.” Swallowing he glances back at the book before grabbing the lighter.

“In exchange I offer these gifts, one of which is very dear t-to me.” With a shaking hand Tavros reaches over to light the shirt with the flame. To his surprise the fire takes to the cotton immediately. “It was a gift from my mother,” he adds softly as he watches it burn. He stares at the flames for another moment before tearing his eyes away and picks up the last bowl. Putting it under his leg he pushes the blade to it.

“Lastly I give a sacrifice of blood, from myself,” he swallows. “I hope that’s okay.” The cut of the blade makes him hiss, though it isn’t too bad. There is so much tissue and nerve damage to his lower legs that it really isn’t that painful, not like it would be if he tried to cut his arm. He has to cut a bit deep to get any real blood flow as well, most of what makes up his legs being fat and fibrous tissue, though even then his legs are still extremely thin. He lets his blood dribble into the smaller bowl until it’s almost full, having to cut a bit deeper to get enough blood. By the time he is done he feels just the slightest bit light headed before he covers the wound with a fudispawn bandaid and sets the knife aside. A little more blood seeps out as he moves, but he knows it will stop bleeding soon. The cuts always do.

“W-with these gifts I, Tavros Nitram, ask Gamzee Makara,” he begins again and sets the bowl in the circle. “Will you help me?” He expects something spectacular to happen, like the room to go dark, or the wind outside to howl. Instead he finds himself sitting in silence, mid day sun still dripping down from the window wells. Tavros holds his breath as he waits, begs in his mind, yet there is nothing. Letting out a defeated sigh he feels tears prickling in his eyes. “A-alright then,” he whispers. His nails dig into his palm as he closes his eyes against tears. “I guess you think I’m not worth living either.”

The voice that responds is slow and lazy, a husky rasp at the end of it. “Nah Tavbro, I think you’re worth it.”

Tavros’s eyes fly open to find a young man sitting cross legged in the center of the circle, smiling at him. Smoke from the candles, all of them now out, wafts around his body and over his long dark hair as he sits holding the bowl of Tavros’s blood in one hand and cradles his own chin in the other. He’s not wearing any clothes and Tavros feels his face go warm as his eyes skirt down the demons chest, belly, and finally groin. Gamzee gives a chuckle and Tavros’s eyes tear away and back up to his face just in time to watch him take a sip of the blood and close his eyes.

“Got some wicked shit all up in your blood my brother,” he says when he lifts his eyelids. They stay half closed, like he’s sleepy, the irises underneath glowing an odd purple that makes a shiver go through Tavros’s being. “Glad you let me know what I’m all up and against in those leg pieces of yours.” He dips his fingers in the blood and Tavros lets out a little gasp as Gamzee smears the blood over one of his eyes. Gamzee then begins to paint it over his face, speaking as he goes. “Gave me some wicked shit here to be sipping,” he adds and nods his head to the faygo. “Been craving something sweet, and while your bloods miraculous, it’s got too much spice to it right now.” He licks a bit from the tip of his fingers before he continues to paint himself. “Just a bit too much motherfucking pepper.”

Tavros can’t respond as he stares at this nake young man sitting on his basement floor. He keeps painting himself with Tavros’s blood, his eyes painted with dark red circles, a wide red mouth being added as well. He adds small triangles over his cheek bones, and dots near his temples. As he makes his last mark Tavros can’t help but think that he looks like some sort of deranged clown as he sits naked with a blood red smile on his face.

“Not big on using your vocals are ya, Tavbro?” he asks as he sets the blood down and reaches for one of the miniature snack pies.

“Y-you came,” Tavros finally manages at the direct address. “Y-you actually came.”

Gamzee takes a bite and smiles. Amazingly the blood doesn’t smear. “Course I came,” he says around the mouth full. “Couldn’t say no to a sweet little plea like yours now could I? Not with what you were all up and offering me for something so easy as a pair of legs.”

Tavros jolts a bit. “You can do it?”

Gamzee lets out a low laugh, and it makes Tavros’s spine crawl. Not because it sounds evil, but because it sounds good, pleasant. Shouldn’t Gamzee be, well, scary?

“Course my motherfucker,” Gamzee replies with a smile. “Catch is you’re going to have to let me all up and lay my hands on ya to do so.” Tavros freezes at the words. The book had told him to never let a demon out of a circle, not until a deal had been fully forged. Otherwise there was a good chance that the caller could be torn to shreds. It also had told him to never enter the circle, that if he did he could be dragged away to the world of the demon while the portal was open.

“C-can we work out the, um, finer details first?” he asks.

“Thought we already motherfucking did that with you callin me,” Gamzee says around another bite of pie as he reaches over and opens the faygo. “But if you want to all up and get your chat on over this wicked shit then feel free.” Gamzee takes a swig and smiles.

“O-okay, well,” Tavros licks his lips as his mouth feels suddenly very dry. “I just want to, ya know, be healthy. I’ve never been healthy, and I hate beings so…well…” he rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “Weak.”

Gamzee nods and takes another sip. “Easy enough of a miracle to perform.” Gamzee takes another drink before eyeing the meat. His fingers slide over it before he lifts it and takes a chunk out of it, sharp teeth flashing for just a second, and Tavros swallows. Those had looked sharp. “Gonna need a bit more from you though,” he says easily around the flesh in his mouth.

If Tavros thought his throat was dry before he was wrong. Now he feels like sand is coating his tongue as he speaks. “B-but I brought the offerings.”

“And their not half bad, motherfucker,” Gamzee replies. “But this was just to get me all up in your presence, know what I mean?” Tavros feels himself shake a little. He needed to give him more? What else could he give him? What could a demon want?

“D-do you want my soul?” he asks softly. The peel of laughter that comes from Gamzee makes him jump. He doesn’t know what to do as he watches Gamzee almost vibrate with laughter.

“Now what would I all up and want with that?” Gamzee asks when he can finally speak again, wiping tears from his eyes. The blood still hasn’t smudged.

“I-I thought that was what must, uh, demons wanted,” Tavros says as he goes to swallow. His throat clicks and he coughs.

“Some maybe, but I’m not looking for anything like that.” He takes another drink before eyeing the slightly coughing Tavros. He offers the bottle, and without thinking Tavros leans over the edge of the circle and takes it. Realization hits Tavros as icy fingers brush ove rhis and he jerks back. Trembling he looks at his hand, which still feels very cold, but nothing else seem to have happened to it.

“Something wrong Tavbro?” Gamzee asks, head tilted and forearms resting on his knees, his long fingers trailing on the ground.

“N-nothing,” Tavros says as he takes a shaky drink of the liquid. It was almost room temperature before, but now it is chilly as it slides down his throat. “S-so what would you, uh, want?” he asks as he licks his lips, the fake grape flavor coating his tongue.

“Just to get out now and again,” Gamzee replies with a shrug. “It’s boring as shit down in the depths, and I don’t get to all up and leave that often.”

“So you want…what exactly?” Tavros asks as he takes another sip.

“Just to be able to come hang with you whenever a motherfucker gets restless,” Gamzee says as he takes another bite of meat and swallows it. “Come up and lay my hands on ya and make sure all your pieces are all up and working like they should be.” He finishes off a pie and goes to working on the rest of the steak.

Tavros takes another shaking sip. Gamzee wants Tavros to let him come see him outside of hell? To hang out? It doesn’t really sound that bad. “Do you promise not to hurt anyone if you do?” he asks, and Gamzee nods at him.

“Won’t lay a hand on anyone else unless you tell me to,” he agrees.

Chewing on his lower lip Tavros thinks about it. He would be healthy, would have someone to hang out with, and Gamzee wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone. It was in the agreement and he had read a demons word was law to them. So really, what was wrong with this? The whole idea of Gamzee having to touch him to fix him freaked him out a little bit, but he probably just had to rest his hands on his legs or something. That couldn’t hurt that bad, could it? “Okay,” he finally says with a nod. “Deal.”

“Motherfucking miraculous,” Gamzee grins as he swallows down the last bit of meat. He reaches his hand towards Tavros, and for a moment Tavros thinks he wants to shake. “Mind if I take back that sweet elixir brother?” Tavros relaxes a moment and is careful not to cross the circle this time as he hands to bottle back over the line. He isn’t quite ready to let Gamzee out of the circle, he wants to talk a little bit more, see what he’s like. Gamzee goes to take it and Tavros watches closely. As soon as Gamzee’s fingers touch and he begins to pull, Tavros lets go. It seems that he’s let go too early.

“Woops,” Gamzee says as the bottle starts to slip, his hand fumbling. Tavros snatches at it quickly, his hand still close. He doesn’t realize it’s over the line until icy fingers wrap around his wrist and Gamzee tugs him forwards, his little scooter zipping along under him. Tavros freezes as cold hands comes up to his face, stopping him just in front of Gamzee. Oh god he’s in the circle, he’ in the fucking circle. Claws prod at his cheeks and ears, slide through his mohawk and over the back of his neck. They feel sharp, like just the barest press will break his flesh.

“Y-you promised not to hurt me,” Tavros squeaks as the hands on his face trail down to his neck, the fingers following the curve of his chin.

“You never said anything about yourself Tavros.” Gamzee voice is a bit more somber as his hands trace over Tavros’s shoulders and chest, rubbing at a few places where the chalk paint smeared. “Just all those other motherfuckers out there.”

Tavros’s heart is pounding as Gamzee’s fingers trace over his chest, the fingers so cold they almost burn. How could be so stupid to not designate himself? The book had told him to be thorough, and yet he forget about himself. Trembling he stays very still as those hands keep moving down, down, and end up on his hips.

Gamzee holds them as he shifts, legs unfolding to spread out on either side of Tavros’s body. Tavros’s eyes dart to watch them move, catches a glimpse between Gamzee’s legs, and forces himself to stare at Gamzee’s lazy clown smile. Gamzee continues to smile at Tavros as he grips Tavros’s legs. “But don’t all up and worry motherfucker,” Gamzee says as he hook Tavros’s knees over his hips, forcing Tavros to straddle him while sitting on the scooter. “I’m not gonna hurt ya. You’re my bro now.” Hands slide under Tavros’s backside and he is tugged from his scooter, one of Gamzee’s feet sending it skittering away until it crashes against the wall. Tavros lets out a little gasp, his hands shooting up to wrap around Gamzee’s neck to steady himself. His whole body is beginning to tremble as Gamzee’s cold seeps into him from all points of contact, where there are quite a few. There chests are touching, his inner thighs are pressed to Gamzee’s sides, and the hands under his ass are freezing. Gamzee’s legs shift again, the knees coming up behind Tavros’s back to help him sit up.

“W-what are you doing?” Tavros manages before letting out a little gasp, the hands on his butt squeezing as Gamzee smiles at him.

“All up and laying hands on you,” Gamzee replies as he lets go and instead drags his fingers down Tavros’s legs. The tips of his fingers leave freezing lines through the denim, Gamzee’s long limbs moving all the way down to Tavros’s ankles. He tilts back a little, and Tavros goes with him, clinging to his shoulders as he scrunches his eyes shut. Gamzee isn’t attacking him, he’s just fulfilling his end of the bargain. Right?

“But I need to get this shit all up and out of the way,” Gamzee murmurs against the side of Tavros’s throat as Gamzee pushes him back against his knees.

“W-what?” Tavros stammers as Gamzee looks up at him and licks his lips. He looks…hungry. He doesn’t respond right away though. Instead, his hands hook under Tavros’s knees and begin to lift. Gamzee’s knees slide down closer to the floor, lowering Tavros’s torso, and Tavros drops his hands to touch the concrete on either side of Gamzee’s body to steady himself. 

“See, it’s harder to get a look at your leg pieces with all this junk in the way,” Gamzee says as he lifts Tavros’s legs up and around his body, putting Tavros’s ankles up near his head. “I need to get a good look at what I’m all up and working with now don’t I?” His hands go to Tavros’s jeans button and pops it. “Besides, need to make sure the rest of you is in motherfucking working order like I said I would.” His fingers trail slowly down Tavros’s crotch as he pulls down the zipper, and Tavros gasps.

“Still all up and have your sensation working,” Gamzee says with a smile. “That’s good.”

“G-Gamzee?” Tavros asks before letting out a slight hiss of pain as fingers grip the waistband of both his jeans and underwear and yank them up harshly. The muscles in his legs stretch in ways he hasn’t felt in years, the tendons screaming as Gamzee forces his legs straight and pulls the clothing up and off. Once they are off, Tavros’s legs collapse back onto Gamzee’s shoulders, knees slightly bent as his tries to relax. The coldness of Gamzee’s hands make him gasp as they begin to massage up his thighs, causing Tavros to squirm a bit at being touched so close to areas so sensitive. The hands don’t linger though, instead they begin to move up Tavros’s legs, kneading and pressing into them. It’s a bit painful, having the cold seeping into his bones, but there is something nice to it as well, and Tavros relaxes slightly against Gamzee’s knees.

“Not much left in these,” Gamzee murmurs as his hands keep going up the bony limbs. “All but dead below the belt aren’t ya Tavbro.” It’s not a question, or at least it isn’t posed as one while Gamzee moves his hands up Tavros’s calves. He stops at the slice Tavros made for his blood offering. Gamzee runs a finger over it before tearing the bandaid off. Tavros lets out a little hiss of pain before cold, soothing lips are on the wound and he has to bite his lip to keep from making any embarrassing sounds. Something cold and wet traces over the cut and Tavros shivers outright. While he does his best not to make a sound, he can’t help but pant slightly as he watches Gamzee’s mouth and tongue work at the cut, and after a few moments his mouth is simply working at normal, clear skin. His tongue keeps going, following the patterns of old scars Tavros had left, lapping them away from one calf, and then the other. Tavros finds himself almost writhing from the odd sensation as his legs are cleared of marks.

“There now,” Gamzee says with a smile as he looks down at Tavros, his blood paint still perfectly in place. “Thats got to be a bit better.”

Tavros nods a little in response. “Y-yes,” he manages as Gamzee’s hands continue to gently massage his calves and up to his ankles. Gently, Gamzee moves Tavros’s legs so that he has them on either side of Gamzee again, spreading them so that Tavros is straddling the demon as he lays back on his knees.

“Ready for me to all up and fix these leg pieces of yours?” Gamzee’s hands slide up Tavros’s thighs and he can’t help the soft sound that comes from his throat. No one has ever touched him like this, Gamzee’s fingers petting over the soft skin of his thighs as his cock twitches. It’s embarrassing, to be turned on like this, and he thinks maybe he should apologize to Gamzee for the fact that he is half hard in front of him. Instead of an apology he lets out a gasp as cold fingers wrap around his cock and the knees under him move him up.

“I asked you a question motherfucker,” Gamzee purrs as his hand gently pumps Tavros’s cock. His other hand comes around to slide into the hair of Tavros’s mohawk, massaging the back of his head as the cold fingers play in the soft strands.

“Y-yes,” Tavros manages to squeak out. The knees beneath him push up suddenly and his hands shoot out to grab Gamzee’s shoulders, steadying himself. The shift causes him to feel something hard and cool against the inside of his right thigh. He doesn’t get long to think on it as Gamzee’s mouth, cold, soft, and slightly sticky, covers his.

Tavros’s first kiss had been with Vriska, and it had been nothing like this. It had been a peck, a thing done out of pity for the boy who would never be married, never be good enough to have sex with. It had been a taste of things he would never get. It was nothing like the kiss Gamzee is giving him, his cool lips just barely spread so that an ice like tongue can flick over Tavros’s lips. The hand on Tavros’s cock begins to pump him to full hardness as Gamzee’s hand tightens slightly in Tavros’s hair. Tavros can only pant into the first few kisses before finally kissing back, mouth moving clumsily with Gamzee’s before a tongue pushes between his lips, and he lets it. Gamzee’s tongue is like lapping at a piece of ice as their tongues twirl lazily, Gamzee’s hand on the back of Tavros’s skull pushing Tavros closer. The coldness of everything takes Tavros’s breath away, the pleasure growing in his groin makes his head spin, and he can’t help but tighten his legs around Gamzee’s waist. He freezes.

Gamzee smiles against his mouth for a moment before going to kiss along his jaw. “What’s wrong motherfucker?” he asks as the hand on the back of Tavros’s neck moves, sliding down over his shoulder and side before it alights on his hip. Tavros can’t speak as he curls his toes and flexes his legs. They don’t move much, but they do move, and it is a sensation he has almost forgotten.

“I can move,” Tavros barely breathes as Gamzee’s mouth travels to his neck. Tavros lets out a breathy little moan as teeth suddenly come into play and drag over his flesh. The hand on his cock squeezes and he has to bite his lip as confused sounds try to spill from his mouth. Whatever Gamzee is doing, it’s working, and Tavros is enjoying it. The hand on his hip pushes him back a bit, and he lets it easily. He is so comfortable, so aroused, but at the same time shouldn’t be he scared? This is a demon, a being from hell, yet he sitting naked in it’s lap.

The hard line under his thigh comes free as Gamzee shifts him, and Tavros can’t help but look down. Tavros can see Gamzee’s cock, long and somewhat thick, standing at attention against his belly. It looks oddly discolored next to Tavros’s skin, the hue more purple instead of red, like the blood inside is frozen. With a shaky hand he reaches for it, fingers just barely tracing the head. Gamzee’s moan makes him jump.

Gamzee squeezes the cock in his hand and Tavros’s breathing stutters. “Come on Tavbro,” Gamzee says, and it sounds almost like a begging. Tavros looks up at him a bit shocked, and finds that Gamzee’s eyes are almost fully closed as his hand pumps him lazily, making Tavros’s hips move upwards slightly. “Been so long since I’ve felt something besides my own hand down there. Help a motherfucker out.” 

Tavros doesn’t look away from Gamzee’s face as his hand goes down and wraps around Gamzee’s cock, and it is so cold, so very cold. Gamzee’s hand stills as he watches Tavros’s face, waiting for him to move. Tavros gives a squeeze, and Gamzee reciprocates. Tavros strokes, and Gamzee does the same. He tries giving a little twist, and Gamzee lets out a groan as his hand falls back to stroking Tavros regularly again. Gamzee’s other hand comes up and pulls Tavros in for another kiss, and this time Tavros doesn’t hesitate to kiss back. If this is what Gamzee needs to do to clear his body of all the sickness he is totally for it, especially if he keeps moving his hand like he is.

“Fuck Tavros,” he pants as Tavros’s keeps stroking and squeezing. He must be doing a good job because Gamzee is pants almost as much as he is. “I’m going to be needing more than just that.”

“Huh?” Tavros asks, only half listening when the knees behind him are suddenly gone. His hands fly out to catch himself, but Gamzee already has him, hands behind his head and back. How had he gone from sitting to kneeling so quickly? Tavros finds himself shaking as he is laid down on the concrete, and finds it to be almost warm compared to how cold Gamzee is. Gamzee’s hands are arranging his legs again, pushing them together, though he is glaring at them.

“W-what?” Tavros asks, he doesn’t like being on the receiving end of that glare.

“Don’t have much motherfucking flesh,” Gamzee growls, and Tavros finds himself shivering for reasons other than the cold..

“W-what do you m—”

“These,” Gamzee cuts in and pushes Tavros’s thighs almost painfully hard together. There is a gap down near his groin, the flesh too taunt and emaciated to come together, and Gamzee snarls a little, the red mouth he has painted on his face becoming a frightening sneer. Tavros lets out a little squeak of fear, and it falls away into a lazy smile. Tavros’s heart is beating hard as Gamzee speaks.

“Oh well,” he continues. “They’ll still work.”

“Work for what?” Tavros all but whispers as Gamzee reaches for the bowl of his blood. “Gamzee?” The blood has fully cooled, and is sticky as Gamzee rubs what remains over Tavros’s inner thighs. “G-Gamzee what are you doing?” Tavros tries again, but Gamzee doesn’t seem to be paying attention to him. Instead he puts both of Tavros’s legs over one shoulder before lining up his lower body with the gap between Tavros’s thighs. His cock is cold as he pushes between the blood smeared flesh, his dick gliding over Tavros’s warm cock as he pushes through. It is an odd sensation, but pleasurable nonetheless.

“Ah-ahhh,” Tavros cries gently as Gamzee begins to thrust in and out of his legs, cock rubbing over Tavros’s.

“Mmm, yeah,” Gamzee hums. “Even with them being all bone you still feel motherfucking amazing.” He changes his angle slightly and makes his cock rub a bit harder on Tavros’s, but they aren’t perfectly lined up. With a little whimper Tavros reaches down and holds their cocks loosely together, dragging a groan from them both,

“Good thinking Tavbro,” Gamzee pants and keeps moving, hips bucking a bit harder. He is hitting the back of Tavros’s thighs with more pressure now, causing a slapping sound with each thrust. “Keep your hand right there.” Tavros doesn’t have to be told to do so. It feels so good, so amazing as heat and pleasure build in his groin despite Gamzee’s freezing temperature. His legs are tingling as well, a warmth that is only slightly painful. It is pins and needles, like they are waking up.

“G-Gamzee,” he pants as Gamzee starts moving even faster, the slaps to the back of Tavros’s legs becoming almost painful. “G-Gamzee not so hard.” Gamzee doesn’t seem to hear him as he only goes faster. “Gamz—” His name is lost in a cry of pain as his legs are forced back towards him, stretching the tendons as Gamzee’s mouth descends on his own. The kiss is harsher, his teeth catching on Tavros’s lips before he abandons Tavros’s mouth and goes to his throat and shoulders.

“Gamzee,” he pants as he lets go of the cocks between them and goes to push at the demon atop him. “It h-hurts, please—” he is cut off by another cry coming from his throat as teeth sink into the crook of his neck.

“I told you not to move your hand,” Gamzee growls against the torn flesh, and oh god he sounds so different. It has become more of a growl than actual speech, and Tavros’s stomach trembles at the sound. Tavros’s hand immediately drops back do to their cocks. Gamzee’s tongue comes out and laps at the wound he has left. “Good,” he tells him as his hips keep going.

Tavros closes his eyes and grits his teeth. There is still pleasure coming from between his legs, but everything else is in pain. The new angle has Gamzee’s cock digging into his belly button with each thrust, his legs are shaking, and his shoulder aches as Gamzee licks away the wound. Yet his cock still blossoms with pleasure as Gamzee slams in between his thighs, and Tavros keeps his hand locked around them.

“Almost there,” he hears Gamzee growl before pulling back a bit. His mouth is freezing as he pushes it to Tavros’s, the droplets of blood from his bites causing the flesh to stick for a moment before tearing away. It makes Tavros let out little cries as Gamzee’s tongue comes out and laps some of the wounds away while more appear with each kiss. “I want you to cum,” he suddenly growls. Tavros’s hips thrust up on their own accord at the words and his gasps. The pleasure in his lower body is suddenly the most prevalent thing about him, the pain a distant ache. “I want you to cum, now, motherfucker,” Gamzee growls.

Tavros’s release is almost instantaneous, but where he is expecting pleasure there is pain. He can’t help but scream, and Gamzee’s mouth is there to swallow it. Tavros’s hand lets go, and Gamzee’s appears, cold fingers stroking them together as Tavros’s finger dig into Gamzee’s shoulders. It feels like he is cumming fire, heat shooting from him and covering his belly, burning him. Whatever pleasure there is, it is trapped beneath the pain. Tavros manages to tear his mouth from Gamzee’s and look down his body, tears in his eyes as he watches shot after shot of red tinted black shoot from his cock.

“Gotta get all that pepper out of your blood,” Gamzee growls as he pushes his mouth against Tavros’s neck and licks a long, cool lines up the side. Tavros is only able to whimper and squirm as he continues to cum, each shock against his thighs forcing more out of him while Gamzee bites into his throat again. He screams this times, and Gamzee doesn’t stop him from doing so. He claws ag Gamzee’s back, his long black hair tangling in Tavros’s fingers.

“Please,” he begs. “Please s-stop. It burns,” Tavros pleads. Gamzee’s response is to pull back, straightening Tavros’s legs so they point towards the ceiling as he keeps thrusting between his thighs.

“Just means your miracle is working,” Gamzee grins before giving one last harsh thrust. Gamzee keeps his thighs pressed right against Tavros’s as he cums, freezing spunk spreading over Tavros’s belly, the sudden change in temperature making his muscles contract painfully as he screams. Gamzee gives a wide, lazy smile down at him as he just barely milks himself between Tavros’s thighs, hips minutely moving as the last of both his, and Tavros’s, cum spills from them.

“There we go,” he says softly when the last of the blackened cum dribbled from Tavros’s cock. “How do ya feel motherfucker?” His cock slides out from between Tavros’s thighs as he gently lays his legs on the floor. Tavros’s response is to roll on his side and dry heave against the pain that is starting to recede in his lower body. His legs feel like they are on fire, his cock aches, and his belly feels like someone dribbled lava and liquid nitrogen over it at the same time.

“It hurts,” he whimpers. The cold hand on his back doesn’t make him feel much better as he curls in on himself.

“Don’t worry my motherfucker,” Gamzee says soothingly as he leans down. “It won’t hurt as bad next time.”

Tavros’s head snaps towards him in fear. “N-next time?” Gamzee just smiles down at him as he reaches to the side, hand disappearing into the bowl of ashes that was once Tavros’s shirt. Though instead of ashes he pulls out the actual shirt, which he begins to use to mop up the mess on Tavros’s stomach and thighs.

“Course Tavbro,” Gamzee replies as he leans down to kiss his shoulder. Tavros shivers. “Going to take more than one time to get all that spice out of your blood. Didn’t think I was going to make it all pure and sweet laying my hands on you only once did ya?”

Tavros doesn’t know what to do. He’s going to have to do that again? Maybe even multiple times? He wants to cry, to curl up and cry. He had thought it would only take once, that whatever Gamzee needed to do he would just do and then he wouldn’t be sick anymore. He lets out a little sob as Gamzee tosses away the soiled shirt and leans down.

“Shhh, shhh,” he hushes and picks Tavros up, cradles him as Tavros wraps his arms around Gamzee’s neck. “After we get it all out I promise you it’ll be some of the most miraculous pleasure you’ve ever felt,” he says and kisses beneath Tavros’s eyes, kissing and licking away his tears. “And it’s not like you’re not going to be getting all up and motherfucking better before then. This shit just takes time.” More kisses. “You’ll be able to all up and hobble this cute ass of yours around in a week or so.” The words are only a slight comfort to Tavros as he stays curled against Gamzee’s chest.

“W-what about right now?” he asks as he flexes his toes. Heat, pins and needles shoot up his legs and he winces.

“Right now that body of yours is all up and healing itself now that we got the worse of that spicy sickness up and out of your blood,” Gamzee tells him as he starts to stand, Tavros still tucked in tight against his chest. His body aches, his head is swimming, and he feels so very tired. “Which means it’s all up and time for you to be getting some shut eye.” Gamzee takes a few steps and Tavros only half registers that he is able to walk out of the circle, though he cares little now that they are heading for the stairs. Gamzee’s arms hold him easily as he climbs upwards.

“The circle,” Tavros murmurs as he catches a glimpse of it as they go. He can’t just leave the paint on the floor. His family will find out. “I need to—”

“No worries brother,” Gamzee cuts in. “I’ll take care of it before I get my ass all up and out of here.” Tavros nods lazily against Gamzee’s chest in response, his eyes heavy. Despite Gamzee’s coldness, Tavros is comfortable in the demons hold as he is taken back to his room. He is laid gently on his bed, sheets being pulled back and over him. Gamzee crawls in next to him, mouth traveling over Tavros’s neck and shoulders while his hands squeezes his hip. Tavros turns his head just a little to look at him, and finds himself being kissed. He melts into it, into the cold, and lets himself be touched and kissed all over as his aching body drifts into sleep.

Just before he falls fully unconscious there is a sharp shot of pain over his belly button followed by soft words and soothing hands. He falls asleep with a shaky image of a clown face in his mind.

——-

“Tavros?” The voice pulls him from his slumber. It is accompanied by soft beeps and the humming whir of machines. Tavros opens his eyes to find his father hovering over him. “Oh thank god you’re awake,” he sighs and pets a hand over Tavros’s head. It feels good, cool but not cold, and he sighs as he closes his eyes again.

“Whahappen?” he asks, the words melded together as he tries to open his eyes again. He lets them fall closed again immediately..

“You had one hell of fever,” his father tells him. “We had to rush you to the hospital. Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling good? I would have told the office I couldn’t come in today.” Tavros gives a slight shrug in response. There is the sound of a door opening and Tavros opens his eyes just enough to see his older brother Rufioh slip in the room.

“He awake?” he asks, voice soft as he sets a couple of bottles of soda on the side table.

“Yeah,” his father replies as Rufioh pats him on the shoulder. Rufioh comes over to the other side of the bed, the trihawk cut into his hair swimming before Tavros’s eyes.

“Gave me a scare squirt,” he says and ruffles Tavros’s hair in a joking matter.

“Sorry,” Tavros murmurs as he lays with his eyes closed once again.

“How you feeling?” Rufioh asks as their father takes one of the pops Rufioh had brought.

“Okay,” Tavros replies with a yawn. “Tired.” His eyes open and he catches a glimpse of the faygo logo on his father’s red soda bottle. “I had the weirdest dream.”

“With a fever like that I don’t doubt it.” Rufioh chuckles. “Wanna tell me about—” The door opens, interrupting him as a young nurse walks in.

“I’m sorry mister Nitram, but the doctor needs to speak with you,” she says. Both of the men on either side of the bed get a bit tense. “Your sons tests came back, and well…well I can’t even explain what’s happened.” Tavros watches his dad get up as Rufioh looks back at him.

“Be back in a bit little bro,” Rufioh tells him before kissing his forehead and following his father out. Tavros watches them go and listens to the door click shut as he lets his eyes close again. He prepares himself for more bad news, though he can’t really make himself care. The sheets are a little scratchy on his skin, and his head feels like its full of cotton, but besides that he’s feeling okay. Nothing really aches, and he silently thanks the nurses for painkillers. The coldness that shoots through his belly makes him gasp a little as he jolts before it passes and he lays back panting. What was that? The new development the doctor wants to talk to his father about? There is a sound of a bottle cap twisting off and he turns to the side of the bed.

“What did the doctor say?” he asks, expecting his father. He freezes. A young man with a clown smile painted on his face is sitting in the chair he father was in. A tight, dirty shirt outlines the thin muscle of his chest as dark hair frames his face.

“That your disease is in remission motherfucker.” He grins and takes a swig of the soda Tavros’s father had just been drinking. Underneath the smears of black and red of his shirt Tavros can see Peter Pan stretched out over the others chest. His drugged up brain makes the connection. Oh god.

“G-Gamzee,” Tavros manages, the sound of his heart monitor jumps in his ears.

Gamzee grins and leans in, his mouth cool on Tavros’s. It is a shock that makes Tavros go still before Gamzee pulls back. “Just wanted to check on you my motherfucker,” he says softly. “But they’ll be back soon so I’ve got to get my hide out of here,” he murmurs barely an inch away from his mouth. “Be seeing you later Tavbro.” The next kiss is deeper, harsher, with his hand tangling in Tavros’s hair. It makes Tavros gasp, mouth opening enough that Gamzee is able to swipe his tongue in his mouth. There is a flash of cold in his belly, and then Gamzee’s gone.

Panting, Tavros looks around the room. The soda Gamzee had been drinking sits open on the side table, half empty, and the fake sugar flavor lingers on Tavros’s tongue. With shaking hands he slowly lifts the sheets off his body and pulls up his hospital gown. Right above his belly button is a small mark, no bigger than a quarter. It’s already fading as he watches it, but before it does completely he’s able to just barely make out a miniature version of the calling circle he had made in the basement.

When Tavros’s father comes back in he is staring stunned at the wall. Rufioh nor his father notice as they go to hug him tight, tears in their eyes.

“You’re going to live,” his father sobs. “My little boy is going to live.” The words are something Tavros has wanted to hear all his life, something he has wished and hoped and dream for. Yet instead of joy in his heart he feels ice in his belly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do these chapters turn out so long? Why? *sighs* I do hope you enjoy it though, and sorry if I missed any mistakes in editing.

Tavros has been deemed the miracle child, the eighth wonder of the medical world, and a marvel of modern medicine. His doctor is being praised even though she has told people over and over that she has no idea how his disease has gone into remission.

“It’s a true modern miracle,” she had told the cameras when they had first appeared. “We don’t have a single clue what is happening in his body that is allowing him to fight what was originally thought to be an irreversible disease.” Tavros had just sat in front of the flashing bulbs and did his best to shrink away from them. He doesn’t want this attention, it hadn’t been apart of the deal. All he wanted was his health back, not fame. At least most of the people have backed off since his Dad made a public announcement that he didn’t want people coming around again or they would have the cops called on them.

“Come on Tavros, lets goooooooo,” Vriska whines as she lays flopped over his bed.

“Sorry,” Tavros replies as he tries to get the straps of his arm braces to fit around his forearms. It’s been years since he has been able to use them, and he had forgotten about their annoying habit of becoming too loose.

“I’m going to leave without you,” Vriska says as she gets up off his bed and stretches. Tavros does his best to keep his eyes from looking over at her midriff before her arms come down. “Seriously, how hard can a couple of straps be?” She walks over and looks at the braces. “Oh god, I remember these fucking things,” she mumbles as she reaches out. “You had issues with these back in middle school too.” Tavros lets go of the straps and instead holds himself and the braces steady, allowing her to tighten them. She gets them to the point that he can put his arms in easily and feel the straps snug against his forearm.

“Dad was, uh, thinking of getting me a new pair,” Tavros tells her as she goes on to the next one, a curtain of hair covering her face. “Ones with better straps, but I don’t see the point.”

Vriska straightens and flips her hair, snapping it over Tavros’s face and making him blink away the gentle sting. “Yeah, with how fast your legs are fixing themselves I doubt you’ll be needing them much longer, thank god.”

Tavros smiles a little as he goes to follow her out of his room. “Yeah, it’ll be nice to just, uh, walk on my own again.”

“Yeah. Maybe you’ll finally be able to walk at a decent speed when you can.” She punches him in the shoulder just a tad too hard to be called gentle, but the smirk she gives him makes it okay. At least to him it’s okay as she walks ahead. “Come on, we’ll be late for the movie if we don’t hurry,” Vriska says over her shoulder,and Tavros picks up the pace as much as he can, trailing behind her only a little as they make their way to her car. “When your legs are all healed maybe you can finally get your license and drive me around,” Vriska calls over the top of the car as she unlocks the old jeep.

“I’d be trading in one, uh, set of wheels for another,” he jokes as they settle in and close the car doors. He is surprised that Vriska actually laughs at the joke.

———

“You’re that miracle kid aren’t you,” the girl behind the concessions counter says as Tavros waits for her to fill up his slushy.

“Oh, uh, yeah,” Tavros replies and feels his ears tinge red. With all the press about his recovery it’s been hard to go anywhere in town without someone recognizing him.

“That is so cool,” the girl says, Sarah by her name tag, before she goes and grabs his slushy.

“Jeez, can’t we go anywhere without you being called a miracle,” Vriska mumbles under her breath. Tavros shrugs sheepishly before Sarah comes back.

“That’ll be $12.50,” she says, and she is beaming.

“But…wait,” Tavros says as he looks at the popcorn, candy, and the soda on the counter next to his slushie. “That can’t be right.”

“I took the drinks off for you and your girlfriend,” Sarah replies, her smile bright as she takes the twenty Vriska offers her.

“Oh, she’s n—” Tavros starts before Vriska cuts in.

“Thank you,” Vriska says as sweetly as she can. She takes a step towards Tavros and puts an arm around his shoulders. “It’s people like you who have been making his recovery such a blessing.”

“You’re welcome!” Sarah replies. “Oh, would you like a tray for everything?”

“That would be great,” Vriska replies, and Sarah goes scurrying to find a cardboard tray. In the few moments Sarah is gone, Vriska turns her attention to Tavros. “Never turn down free stuff,” she hisses at him. “If they want to think I’m your girlfriend, then I’m your girlfriend. Twice the free stuff that way.” She shifts into her false sweetness the second Sarah comes back.

“Here you go,” Sarah says and loads up the tray. “Enjoy your movie!”

“Thaaaaaaaanks,” Vriska says, drawing out the A in a singsong manner. Vriska turns with a flip of her hair and heads towards the hall that houses theater 6. As soon as they are out of earshot Vriska lets out a little giggle. “Saved us almost ten bucks. About time that miracle shtick of yours paid off.”

“I-it’s not really a schtick, you know,” he says as they walk, his arm braces making little rattling noises as he moves.

“Course it is,” Vriska says as they keep moving. “You got better because you wanted it bad enough, not because some ‘God’ showed up and fixed you. There’s no such thing.”

“Yeah,” Tavros laughs a bit nervously. “Right.”

They make it a few more steps before his stomach suddenly drops in temperature and he stutters to a halt. Everything around him suddenly feels cold and there is a tugging at his navel. Vriska pauses a few steps ahead and turns to look at him.

“Hey, you doing okay?” she asks.

“F-fine,” Tavros stutters. “Just suddenly need to, uh…” he pauses and swallows as he tries to think of something. “Use the bathroom,” he spits out. “The new meds can wreak havoc on my, um, colon.”

“Whatever,” Vriska says as she turns back towards the theater doors. “I’ll try and get a seat in the middle.”

Tavros feels another tug at his navel. “O-ok!” he calls before going as quickly as he can towards the mens bathroom near the back of the theater. It is the smallest, and the least used. He almost slips on the tile floor as he enters, but manages to keep himself upright.

“You okay?” a guy asks as Tavros makes his way towards the handicap stall.

“Fine!” he calls back over his shoulder before ducking into the stall and turning the lock. Fuck, why here? Why today? Of all the times to have Gamzee want to come for a visit. “Okay,” Tavros gasps as he hears footsteps and the door closing. “It’s clear.”

“Good,” he hears behind him as cool arms wrap around his chest. Gamzee’s mouth presses to the side of Tavros’s throat and he shudders. So far Gamzee has only come to see him twice since the hospital. Both times were spent in his room as he did his best to keep Gamzee entertained, which was actually quite easy. All he had to do was bring him some faygo, snacks, and put him in front of a game station. Either that or pop in a movie, though when he had done that Gamzee had pulled him close and held him in the half light of his room. They hadn’t made it through the whole movie before Gamzee had started kissing him. It had been nice actually. The kissing had made Tavros’s stomach drop drastically at first, seeing as his brother or father could come to check in on him at any time, but when it became apparent that Gamzee was going to keep things above the belt he had melted into it a little. Well, maybe a lot, but it had been nice to kiss him again. There was no fear of pain as long as they were kissing from what Tavros could tell, and if it helped him complete part of his deal then he was more than happy to comply.

“G-Gamzee,” Tavros says softly as the mouth trails down the side of his neck. “Now might not be, uh, the best time.” His eyes stay locked on the door to his stall as his ears strain to hear anyone come in.

Gamzee seems to realize that they aren’t in his room as soon as Tavros speaks, and lifts up his head. “Huh, guess not,” Gamzee says as he looks around the tiled room. “Where are we Tavbro?”

“A movie theater,” Tavros replies as he gently pulls away. “It’s a place where people go to watch, well, movies.”

“Looks like a shitter,” Gamzee replies.

Tavros can’t help but crack a smile. “We’re in the bathroom,” he says.

“Well that makes too much motherfucking sense,” Gamzee chuckles as he goes towards the door. He’s wearing Tavros’s peter pan shirt again, the fabric looking much more stretched and worn than it had before. The jeans Gamzee wears are baggy and threadbare, same with the old sneakers he wears. “So what are we all up and seeing?” he asks as he opens the door and holds it open so that Tavros can walk out.

“Oh…uh…” He pauses in the middle of the small bathroom. What is he supposed to say?

“What’s up Tavbro?” Gamzee asks as he scratches his head, fingers digging into his unkempt hair.

“Well, uh, you need a ticket. And I’m kinda here with a, uh…” he trails off.

“With a what?” Gamzee asks and kind of cocks his head to the side as his hands slip into his pockets.

Tavros bites his lip a little. “Well with another friend,” he finally says.

“Don’t all up and worry Tavbro,” Gamzee says and claps a hand on his shoulder. “Motherfuckers like myself don’t need tickets, and it’s about time I met a few of the people you all up and spend your time with.” Gamzee smiles at him lazily as he says it.

“Oh.” Is all Tavros can manage as he stares up at Gamzee. How is he supposed to tell Gamzee that he just wants it to be him and Vriska and that he doesn’t want the demon around? Apparently his face says it all because Gamzee’s smile starts to fall.

“I’m guessing this brother isn’t all up and wanted around right now,” he murmurs and lets his hand fall away, the whites of his eyes flashing purple slightly in the light of the bathroom.

“N-no,” Tavros says quickly. “I just don’t, uh, know what to tell Vriska about, um…you know, you. Like where, uh, where we met and stuff.” He holds his breath for a moment and prays that it’s enough to make that odd look on Gamzee’s face go away.

Apparently it is, because in no time that smile is back. “Don’t worry about that my motherfucker,” Gamzee says as he begins to lead him towards the door, and Tavros finds that his legs aren’t shaking nearly as much while Gamzee keeps a hand on him. “Leave that to me.” Gamzee leads them down the hall and past the concession stand where he pauses. It’s mostly empty, a majority of the movies having already started.

“Do you want a drink or something?” Tavros asks as Gamzee’s eyes scan over the board.

“Or something,” Gamzee says as he steps away from Tavros and heads for the counter. The shaking in Tavros’s legs returns as soon as Gamzee is a few steps from him, and it takes him a moment to straighten himself and catch up. By the time Tavros has, Gamzee has a rather large pile of candy and popcorn on a little cardboard tray while the guy behind the counter fills up a large grape slushy for him. Tavros feels his heart fall. He can’t pay for all this.

“Gamzee,” he says softly as the guy brings the slushy over. “I can’t, um…afford all that.”

“No worries brother,” Gamzee says as the guy rings him up. Sarah is nowhere to be seen. “I’ve got this.”

“That’ll be $45.75,” the teen says.

“No it ain’t,” Gamzee replies. Tavros watches in shock as the guys face goes from confusion, to surprise, to blank.

“Oh. Sorry,” he says in a monotone. “I forgot about your gift card.”

“S’allright motherfucker,” Gamzee says as he gathers up his goodies. “Honest mistake.”

“Enjoy your movie,” the guy responds as he gives a weak little wave and his eyes stay transfixed on the wall behind their heads.

“Thanks brother,” Gamzee replies with a smile and balances the tray in one hand while he wraps his other arm around Tavros’s shoulders. The smoothy he holds is cold against Tavros’s shoulder, but that isn’t what makes him shiver as they head down the hall and towards their movie.

——-

“So where exactly did you two meet?” Vriska asks as the previews roll. There are maybe one or two previews left, and people around them are starting to glare a bit, but Vriska doesn’t care. Instead she drapes herself over Tavros as Gamzee pops gummy candy into his mouth.

“Kids ward,” Gamzee says smoothly. “It was a long motherfucking time ago. Family moved away for a while, but we came back just this past month. Recognized this miracle brother of mine from the telly and thought I’d say hi. Was a little miracle we had tickets to the same motherfucking show.”

Tavros swallows hard as his eyes twitch between the two of them. Vriska looks like she’s sizing Gamzee up, and Gamzee looks dangerously serene.

“Yeah, that’s fascinating,” Vriska says, though her tone of voice convays anything but that. “I don’t think I ever heard Tavros mention you before, and we’ve known each other foreeeeeeeever,” Vriska says in mock surprise as the lights drops and the opening credits start.

“Yeah, well. Wasn’t the happiest place. Bet my brother here just didn’t want to take that shit home with him more than he had to, ya know?” Gamzee isn’t looking at her anymore, his eyes staring straight at the screen.

“Yeah, sounds like Tavros, always running away from his problems.” She leans in a bit closer and Tavros finds he can feel her warmth bleeding through his shirt. “I bet you two have a lot of catching up to do,” she says over the starting music. There a few ‘shhh’ sounds around them. “Especially if you’ve been gone so long,” she shifts closer to Tavros as she says it, her chest bumping him. “What with all the knew friends he’s ma—”

Tavros’s throat goes tight as Gamzee lifts two fingers up and Vriska freezes.

“Bitch,” he starts, voice quiet as the first movie lines are spoken. “Sit down and fill that motherfucking mouth of yours with that shit in your lap,” Gamzee growls. “I don’t want to hear a word out of that maw of yours until the movie is over.”

Tavros watches with wide eyes as Vriska slowly pulls back and sits in her chair, her hands going to the popcorn which she starts to eat. She picks up one piece at a time, putting them in her mouth and chewing as she stares almost unblinkingly at the screen.

“Thanks man,” some guy murmurs behind them.

“Pleasures all mine brother,” Gamzee murmurs back as he reaches an arm around Tavros’s shoulders. Vriska just stares straight ahead, and while Tavros knows Gamzee can’t actually hurt her, the knowledge does little to make him relax as the film unfolds before them.

——-

“Thanks for the ride, Vriska,” Tavros says softly as he stands outside her passenger side door. She’s rubbing at her temples, her face a little pale.

“Yeah, yeah. Couldn’t trust creepo over there to take you home safely now could I?” Her voice sounds a bit pained. She’s turning a little green in places, and Tavros feels his stomach drop down near his groin.

“Are you, uh, feeling okay?” he asks.

“I think I ate too much junk,” she replies. “Got a fucking headache and my stomach feels like shit. I can’t believe I ate all that popcorn.”

Tavros doesn’t want to mention the two bags of candy and large soda. Gamzee had offered him some of his own snacks, though Tavros had declined. He hadn’t really had the stomach for it as he watched Vriska eat out of the corner of his eye. “Well, be safe on your way home,” he tells her. She just nods and shifts the car into gear.

“See ya ‘round motherfucker,” Gamzee calls from the front stoop and waves. Vriska gives a mock wave in response.

“Creepy bastard,” Tavros hears her say as she rolls up her window and pulls out of the drive. Carefully he makes his way up the ramp to the front door. When he had been in his chair it was wonderful, but on the braces it’s a little awkward.

“Did you really have to uh, do that?” Tavros asks as Gamzee gets up and leads him into the house.

“Do what Tavbro?” Gamzee asks as he shuts the door behind them. The house is quite, Tavros’s father away on business and his brother back at college.

“You know…the junk food.”

Gamzee looks straight ahead as they walk back towards the living room where he flops onto the couch. He keeps his smile unsettlingly neutral. “Bitch was talking shit, so I just made sure she put some back in that motherfucking mouth of hers.” His words make Tavros shiver a little.

“You made her sick,” Tavros replies as Gamzee spreads out over the couch.

“Nah, those wicked snacks made her sick,” Gamzee replies.

“B-but you made her eat the snacks,” Tavros says.

Gamzee shrugs. “Not my fault she couldn’t all up and stomach it.” He gives a lazy smile that makes Tavros want to shiver. He feels very uncomfortable at Gamzee’s words and tries to lick his lips with a dry tongue.

“Why don’t you come here Tavbro,” Gamzee says from the couch and pats a spot next to him. “I think it’s time I all up and got my miracles on again.”

“R-right now?” Tavros asks and feels his heart rate speed up.

“No one around, your bodies all fine tuned itself to your new rhythm, and it’s about time we got a little more pepper out of your blood,” Gamzee tells him as he seems to almost melt into the couch. “So throw those sticks of yours off to the side and get over here where I can all up and lay hands on you.” It’s not a request, though Gamzee still manages to make it sound laid back and easy. Tavros takes a step forwards. “Ah-ah,” Gamzee says and lifts a hand. “What did I say about those motherfucking sticks?”

Getting rid of the braces makes Tavros worry. His legs aren’t quite strong enough to work without the braces, his balance still utter shit, but if Gamzee is telling him to get rid of him then he probably should. Pulling his hands from the arm braces, Tavros tossed them gently away from himself. In doing so he almost falls flat on his face, but he manages to stay relatively steady amazingly enough.

“There you go,” Gamzee purrs as he curls a finger, beckoning Tavros forwards. “Now get that fine ass of yours over here my motherfucker. It’s been filling out pretty damn nice since I saw it last.”

Tavros feels his cheeks and ears burn as he moves towards Gamzee on somewhat shaking legs, his hands out to the side to make sure that he can keep his balance. It is true that the muscles in his lower body are coming back fairly quickly. No doubt it has something to do with Gamzee’s visits, otherwise it would probably take much longer. It is only a few steps between him and the couch, but he has to take them slow. Each step threatens to send him tilting to one side, his arms and torso having to move to keep his balance up.

“Good,” Gamzee purrs as Tavros reaches for him and grips his hand. The second the contact is made his legs stop shaking, the wobbling stops, and he is standing still and straight. A smile has only a moment to grace his face before Gamzee pulls him forwards. Gamzee’s mouth is cool against his, and Tavros’s eyes close the second the contact is made. Fear sits low in his belly, but lust hangs lower and closer to something that makes him melt into the touch of lips on lips. Gamzee pulls Tavros into his lap, helping Tavros to settle with his knees on either side of Gamzee’s hips. His head is higher than Gamzee’s, making him have to duck a bit as cool hands trail up his thighs and squatting backside. He lets out a little gasp as Gamzee’s hands knead the flesh of his ass, digging a bit roughly through the denim.

“Filling out just fine,” Gamzee says against Tavros’s mouth.

Tavros lets out a little pant and pulls back a bit. He jolts when he finds the the space around Gamzee’s eyes and mouth have gone dark just as they had when he had painted his blood around them. In fact, they look just like they had that night, the flesh tainted the deep, shining read of blood on flesh. “H-how?” He says softly as he lifts a hand to run over the area just below Gamzee’s mouth.

Gamzee lets out a chuckle and closes his eyes so that Tavros can trace over them. “You and I are bound, Tavbro,” he murmurs as Tavros traces the dark circles and finds that nothing comes off on his fingers. “Going to be wearing your paint for as long as you motherfucking live.”

Tavros pulls his hand away, his fingers shaking. “B-but why?” he asks, though he isn’t sure he really wants to know just ‘why’ Gamzee would be wearing his blood for the years to come.

“Because Tavros,” he says, voice dropping as one of the hands on Tavros’s backside slides upwards. Gamzee’s nails catch gently on his shirt as the fingers slide up his sides and Tavros looks down and pants a bit more out of fear now than need. He gasps when the fingers make it to his mohawk and tug his head back while also forcing his throat downwards. Gamzee’s lips are cool against his skin. “You’re mine in blood, bone, and flesh,” he says, voice low and taking on a gravely tinge. “As long as you live they will continue to all up and be mine.” He licks a cool line up Tavros’s throat, and Tavros can’t help the shudder that follows. Gamzee smiles against his neck. “As long as your flesh survives I will caress it,” he muttered and pushed his hand under Tavros’s shirt, gently scraping with sharp nails. “As long as your bones take shape I will gaze upon them,” he murmurs as he pulls Tavros’s head back just enough so he can look up and down his body. “And as long as this blood in your veins is flowing,” he adds as he pushes Tavros’s throat back down. “I will motherfucking taste it.”

Tavros lets out a weak little sound of pain as Gamzee’s teeth sink into the side of his neck as a thrill of sensation shoots through him. His brain is confused as the skin knits itself together around the teeth that slowly push in and pull back out, causing a continual signal of endorphins to zip through his brain. Tavros’s hands grip Gamzee’s shoulders tight as Gamzee’s teeth slid out slowly and that cool tongue of his laps up what little blood spills from the wounds.

As soon as the teeth are out of Tavros’s flesh, Gazee’s hand disappears from his hair as well, and Tavros collapses into a sitting position in Gamzee’s lap. His knees are still on either side of Gamzee’s hips, but his head is now below Gamzee’s as he curls forwards with his face pushing into the others chest. Little pants escape from between his lips while his half hard cock throbs with his heart beat.

“That answer your question Tavbro?” Gamzee’s chest vibrate as he speaks, and Tavros’s forehead buzzes with the words. Hands rub over his back, dipping down into his jeans and tugging at the cotton of his shirt. “Come on,” Gamzee adds as he reaches down and grips at the bottom of his shirt. “Let’s get this all up and off ya.”

Tavros doesn’t fight as Gamzee pulls the shirt up, lifting his arms so that the cotton can be removed. The second the fabric is off of his skin, Tavros can’t help but feel a tremble begin to spread over his chest. It’s a warm day outside, but next to Gamzee he feels like it’s mid fall. “Don’t you need to take of…yours,” Tavros pauses at the end and finds that Gamzee is sitting bare chested before him with a smile on his face.

“One step ahead of you Tavros.” He tugs Tavros closer and kisses him again, mouth harsh and hands tracing over his chest and back. Tavros lets out small gasps and pants as cold fingers touch over his body, triggering sensations that send him shivering. Gamzee’s finger and thumb close over a nipple and make him gasp at the strangeness of it.

“Got some sensitive tits there Tavbro?” Gamzee chuckles as he twists it a little. Tavros lets out a little gasping sound before he is pushed back. Gamzee’s hand continues to play with the nipple as his other hand keeps a tight grip on Tavros’s hip. He leans in towards Tavros’s chest.

“G-Gamz-ahh, ah,” Tavros’s hands snap up to curl in Gamzee’s hair as Gamzee’s freezing tongue traces around the areola. His skin bubbles up into gooseflesh as he lets out small sounds as sensation zips through him and goes down to his groin. When Gamzee pull’s back, Tavros finds he can only pant before letting out a small sound of pain as the fingers still playing with the flesh of his chest pinch. It quickly becomes a groan as Gamzee’s mouth descends and cools the reddened area. He can’t stop his hips from gently pushing forwards.

“Like that motherfucker?” Gamzee chuckles as Tavros’s hips move again as Gamzee’s thumb flicks over the wet nipple. Tavros lets out a little gasp, and Gamzee’s dark grin grows wider. The hand on Tavros’s hip moves to press into the front of his crotch and squeezes gently. Tavros gasps and tightens his hands in Gamzee’s hair. “Yeah, you like it.” Both of Gamzee’s hands come down and start to undo his buttons, letting Tavros catch his breathe for a moment as the denim of his jeans helps to act like a buffer for a moment.

“Here,” Tavros says as he pulls back and stands, shoving down the pants Gamzee has already undone. He shuffles around for a moment, reaching out and grabbing Gamzee’s shoulder as he toes off his shoes. His cock is flushed red with his arousal, and it bounces gently as he attempts to disentangle his feet. Gamzee lets out a little chuckle as Tavros gives a quick two-step and gets them off, kicking them aside before quickly climbing back into Gamzee’s lap. It isn’t until he is reseated on the cool, denim clad legs of the demon that he realizes that he just managed to kick off his pants. Startled by the fact, Tavros looks over to at the little pile of clothing and sneakers as he wiggles his toes in his socks.

 

Gamzee’s fingers are cool on his chin as Tavros’s face it turned back to face him. “Soon you’ll be able to up and kick and sprint wherever you want motherfucker,” Gamzee says as he caresses Tavros’s chin. Tavros shudders as the other hand wraps around his cock, the fingers cool. Gamzee pumps twice before ke leans in and kisses him gently before he pulls away. “Just need to get some more of that pepper out of your blood.” He squeezes Tavros’s cock, and suddenly Tavros’s legs are much colder. Giving out a little gasp he looks down to find that Gamzee’s lower body is bare.

A squeak of surprise peeps from Tavros’s throat as Gamzee’s hands move quickly to his ass and squeeze as he stands. Tavros’s hands grip his shoulders for the brief time he is held up while Gamzee quickly moves them so that Tavros is laying on the couch with his head on the armrest. Gamzee kneels between his legs, pinning one against the couch while he sets the other off the side.

“This is better,” Gamzee sas as he leans down and starts to kiss down his chest. “Like having you under me,” he adds as he kisses around his belly button before delving his tongue into the dent. Tavros’s lets out another gasp of sound as his hands stay on Gamzee’s shoulders, gripping them tight as his hips come up. “Guess you like it too,” Gamzee says before he kisses down over Tavros’s hip bone and does something Tavros had not necessarily expected. It was true he had always wondered about blow jobs, watched porn about them, read about them, but nothing he knew prepared him for the feeling of an icy cold tongue drawing him into an almost freezing mouth. If not for the sensation of that tongue moving and muscles constricting near the head, the cold might have been enough to kill the boner that Gamzee is sucking on.

“O-oh ffffuck,” Tavros pants out as his hands slip up to grip at Gamzee’s hair again. His fingers twitch as his hips gently move while Gamzee’s hands massage his hips. The sounds of sucking and lapping fill Tavros’s ear along with his own little pants and groan. Gamzee removes a hand from Tavros’s hips, and Tavros finds that he can suddenly buck his hips up a bit more. His cock slides down Gamzee’s throat, and instead of him pulling off Gamzee hums in appreciation. The vibration makes Tavros buck again, and soon Gamzee has his hand gripping Tavros’s ass and urging him to thrust up into his mouth while his other hand rollsTavros’s balls. It makes Tavro cry out as his hips buck up again, and he wonders if this is how Gamzee will make him cum this time. His hips slow a little when Gamzee’s hand comes away from his balls, but the hand on his backside urges him deeper. Tavros moves quicker with the silent prompting until he hears an odd pop.

“Huh?” he asks as he opens his eyes and looks down. The first thing he sees is Gamzee’s hair trailing over his belly, obscuring the view of his cock disappearing between Gamzee’s lips. The sight makes his cock twitch against Gamzee’s tongue. The second thing he sees is a small crystal vial in Gamzee’s hand. “What is that?” he pants as Gamzee comes off with an obscene slurping sound.

“Damn,” Gamzee says and his voice sounds just a bit more husky. “Was hoping I could slip in and surprise you.”

Tavros blinks at him. “S-slip in?” he asks as Gamzee releases his backside to pour something from the vial. It is clear and shining, and when a drop hits Tavros’s thigh he is surprised at its warmth.

“Got to get a little deeper to get that stubborn disease up and out of your motherfucking bones,” Gamzee says as a hand disappears between Tavros’s legs. The sensation of battling temperatures against his hole makes him jump and gasp.

“I-I don’t think you can fit,” Tavros says as the fingers keep probing gently. “I’ll be too, uh, too tight.”

Gamzee smirks. “Tighter the better,” he tells him. “Now just lay back and trust me Tavbro,” Gamzee says as his head starts to dip down. “You know I’ll make you feel good.” His mouth seals back around Tavros’s cock, and in the moment of cool bliss Tavros lets out a gasp as a finger presses against his hole and slides inside. It is the oddest feeling to have something in him, the digit pressing and curling inside him while Gamzee’s mouth stays around his dick. With each buck Tavro’s makes from pleasure, Gamzee’s finger sinks a little deeper, causing a small buzz of pain as his body tries to figure out if the temperature inside him is warm or cold. It finally seems to give up as the two temperatures go back and forth, making his muscles ripple in pleased confusion. It only takes a short time for it to start feeling good, and Tavros finds that he is trying to push down on Gamzee’s finger as much as he is bucking into his mouth.

The second finger takes him by surprise, but in a good way as more of the warm liquid slides inside with it. “Oh god,” he pants as his hips push down harder and Gamzee slides in a little deeper.

Gamzee comes off his cock for just a moment. “No god here,” he says and nips Tavros’s hip. “But I’ll be your messiah,” he adds with a chuckle before taking Tavros back into his throat.

“Gamzee,” Tavros cries out as the fingers delve deep, scissor, and then curl up. The sound that comes from his voice following the name is high and pleasured. His orgasm is unexpected and is barely tinged with any pain at all as he cums down Gamzee’s throat. The fingers inside him pulse against the spot as his hands curls so tight in Gamzee’s hair he is almost tugging out hair. It’s enough force for Gamzee to pull off with a long lick as his throat moves to swallow his spunk down.

“Damn you taste good,” he says as the fingers in Tavros shift and a third slides in. There is only a little pain thanks to Tavros’s new boneless state. “Still a little heavy on the motherfucking spice,” Gamzee adds as the three fingers move inside Tavros. “But we’re getting there.” Tavros pants and moans in response, his toes curling at the over sensitivity while his body buzzes with pleasure. Gamzee does refrain from touching that spot inside him again as he continues to prep Tavros, though his mouth doesn’t stay off of him. He leans up and kisses Tavros, tongue pushing past his lips to tangle with Tavros’s. Tavros tastes his own spunk while he feeds Gamzee pants and sighs as the fingers inside him move. To him he tastes bitter, but every once in a while he tastes something that doesn’t match, the ‘spice’ that Gamzee is talking about. He doesn’t like it.

“There,” Gamzee says as he pulls away. His fingers give one last curl that makes Tavros cry out a bit before his fingers slip out. It leaves Tavros panting and boneless as pleasure sings through him. “I think I’ve got you just loose enough for me,” Gamzee says with a wink. Tavros isn’t able to say much back as Gamzee takes the little vial and pours it over his dick, pumping himself for a moment and biting at his lip in a way that makes Tavros’s cock struggle to grow hard again. It is ridiculous just how hot Tavros finds the demon between his legs, his eyes unable to stray from watching Gamzee’s large hand pump over his cock. The same large, slick hand grips the calf of the leg that is pinned against the couch cushions and lifts it a bit.

“Been hell having to wait until your body was up and strong enough to take me,” Gamzee says as he wraps the leg around his waist. Tavros’s other foot goes up on its toes as Gamzee lines up his cock with Tavros’s stretch hole. “But from just what I could feel with these finger pieces of mine, I know it’s been worth the wait.” He pushes forwards, and Tavros arches against the couch. The cold of Gamzee’s cock is much more pronounce despite the layer of warmth he has spread over it, and it makes Tavros’s muscles constrict around him.

“Gamzee,” Tavros cries as his hands scramble to grab at the couch and his eyes scrunch shut. “Ah! I, uh!” Tavros’s eyes fly open as he feels Gamzee’s hips push flush to his backside. He stares up as Gamzee grins down, his teeth bright white against the blood paint on his lips.

“Told ya I’d make ya feel good.” His hips pull back slowly before he slides back in with a quick snap. Tavros’s spine leaves the couch before Gamzee does it again, and then again, until he falls into a rhythm that is just a bit quicker than Tavros’s brain is able to keep up with. He is left to gasp and thrash, hands gripping for anything and ending up tangled with Gamzee’s fingers.

“There ya go,” Gamzee says as his hips increase in speed. Tavros watches as the others eyes glow with an inward light that makes the irises glow a deep purple. “Take me all in,” he murmurs in his gravelly voice. “Let me all up and fill ya.” Tavros’s foot that is still on the floor lifts and wraps around Gazmee’s back, opening himself up even more and allowing Gamzee in deeper.

“Gamzee,” Tavros pants. Gamzee moves one of Tavros’s hands to wrap around his shoulders. “Feels, so,” he can’t think enough to finish the sentence as Gamzee lets go of his other hand and grips his hips with both hands. He cries out in surprise as they suddenly move. Gamzee lets out a grunt as he lifts Tavros off the couch. Tavros grips Gamzee’s shoulders tight as Gamzee staggers towards the far wall. Tavros lets out a whoosh of air as his back hits the wall and the hands on his ass dig into his flesh, spreading his cheeks as Gamzee pounds up into him. There is pain as the claws dig in, but it’s hard to pay attention to as Gamzee’s mouth assaults his own. Teeth come with the kisses this time, and blood drips from his lips from cuts that almost instantly close. The thrusts into him are shorter, but they are deeper and more intense, and when Tavros shifts his back against the wall he changes the angle and where Gamzee’s cock hits.

“AH!” he cries into Gamzee’s mouth as the demon keeps fucking him. Gamzee’s nails and teeth dig and tear into his skin. The pain accentuates the pleasure as Gamzee goes back and forth between hitting the pleasure point inside him and brushing just to the side of it.

“Come on,” Gamzee growls and pushes their foreheads together. There is a grating noise above them, but Tavros cares little about. He feels too good and Gamzee’s words are much more prominent in his ear. “I want to feel it, motherfucking come on,” he growls. Tavros has no idea what he means, but he does know that the way Gamzee’s eyes glow and the way his body temperature plummets sends a multitude of sensations into him, and all of them are translated to a sharp stab of pleasure as Gamzee hits the spot inside him.

“Gamzee,” he manages to gasp out as his chest suddenly tightens and the rest of his body clenches. Pleasure fills him, though it is greatly tinged in pain. Heat spills from his cock, and he knows his spunk is tainted black. He also knows there isn’t nearly as much as last time, the pleasure that comes with his second orgasm mixing with the pain in an ebb and flow that leaves him between crying out in pain and screaming in pleasure.

“There, Tavros” Gamzee grits. “Mother. Fucking. Perfect.” Gamzee accents each word with a thust. As Gamzee cums, Tavros lets out a shout for a whole new reason. He clutches at Gamzee’s body as he is filled with something icy cold. Gamzee lets out a groan that leaves Tavros shivering as Gamzee’s breath turns the sweat on his brow into frost. The last few pumps Gamzee makes inside Tavros are lazy, freezing, and bring Tavros’s orgasm to a shuddering halt.

“Gamzee?” he asks weakly as Gamzee pulls out and something cold gently drips between his cheeks.

“Shhh,” Gamzee says and nuzzles his neck. The fingers gripping Tavros’s backside are soft, the digging nails gone. “Just relax.” Tavros shivers as he is carried away, Gamzee’s hards fully keeping him up as he is taken back towards the bathroom. Gamzee lays him gently into the tub and turns on the taps.

“M’socks,” Tavros gets out as he looks at him with half lidded eyes, the cold water warming quickly against his chilled skin.

Gamzee chuckles and leans in to pull them off. “I’ve got them Tavbro,” he says and kisses the side of his head, his lips still freezing. “I’ve got them.” Cool hands touch over Tavros’s body as warm water laps slowly over his legs, belly, and chest. At some point Gamzee gets in with him, laying behind him and wrapping his arms around him. Tavros lays back against him and slowly drifts asleep. He isn’t sure how long he sleeps, but when he wakes up he is alone in a tepid bathtub with the smallest grain of ice in his belly. Blearily he looks down at himself to find the water is a nasty grey color, his body having been scrubbed clean.

“Gamzee?” he calls blearily as he moves to push himself up. Pain shoots up his lower spine, and his legs shake once he gets them under him, but not because of the lingerings of his duchenne muscular dystrophy, but because his body doesn’t quite know what to do after the beating it has taken.

“Gamzee?” he tries again as he grabs a towel and shakily makes his way into the hall. He has to keep one hand on the wall to stay upright, but he is mostly walking on his own, shaky as he is. Slowly he makes his way to the living room. “Gam—” he calls and turns to find it is empty. His eyes scan the room to find that while the couch is mussed and his braces are on the floor, the demon is nowhere to be seen. Tavros’s shoulders fall a little as he sighs. “Must have gone back,” he murmurs and turns to head back to his room. He freezes as he faces the wall.

High on the wall are two deep ruts that are almost to the ceiling. Tavros stares at them with a dry mouth as it registers in his brain that this is where Gamzee had fucked him. “How?” he asks, his voice high and afraid. They couldn’t have been made by claws, Gamzee had been holding him up, so what else could have…

Tavros tears his eyes away and hobbles to his bedroom. Putting on clothes in a hurry he quickly gets on the computer. His first night on two legs is spent watching youtube videos on how to fix drywall and seamlessly repaint small chunks of wall. He refuses to think about how Gamzee could possibly put the ruts so high up in the walls without his hands.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware of the added tags.
> 
> If I wrote research papers as fast as I wrote chapters I would be done by now...

“Alright, now let out out the clutch,” Vriska tells him as he shifts gears. There is a grating sound as Tavros attempts to go into first. “No not...fucking hell if you break my car you are getting me a new one.” She pauses for a moment. “Never mind keep going, this things a piece of shit anyways.”

“S-sorry,” Tavros stammers as he tries to not only keep his eyes on the road, but also on the stick shift, the foot trying to work the gas, and the foot working the clutch. After a moment they jerk forwards and he begins to crawl down the street.

“There we go, finally,” Vriska huffs. “You would think with all that time you had to use canes and shit you would be better with a stick.” 

“You would think,” Tavros jokes back even though he is internally panicking. Vriska had agreed to teach him to drive a few weeks after his second miraculous recovery with the excuse that it was about time he learned to drive her to classes in the morning so she could nap on the twenty minute drive. The cameras had come back again with the recovery as well, and this time his father had made good on his threat. At least two paparazzi were found lurking outside Tavros’s window while trying to snap a picture of him to show he had been faking the illness, or at least trying to fake being better. Still, paparazzi and all, he was finding that walking again was coming with many perks. Such as driving cars, though right now it isn’t so much of a perk as it is a fear of getting himself killed. 

“Alright, I want you to go to the end of the street, turn right at the stop sign, speed up to second gear, then deaccelerate to first, and then take another right. We are going to go around the block and you’re going to practice just those two. Got it Pan?” She hasn’t called him by his old nickname in ages, and while it sound a little weird to hear her using it again, it makes Tavros very happy.

“Yes, Tink,” he replies. “Could never fly without you.” He catches the slightest darkening of her cheeks as they stop at the stop sign. She ducks her head to turn on the radio and lets her hair cover her face. Tavros can’t help but smile as he grinds the gears of the clutch while he turns the corner. 

They go around the block twice before Vriska gets the call on her cell. “‘Ello?” she asks with the traces of a laugh still her voice; Tavros had finally gone down a street without making the gears grind. Her smile falls as soon as the other person starts talking.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay. I’ll get the tonic water, just get her in the tub. I’ll be home asap. Yeah, okay Aranea, see you soon.” She lets out an annoyed sigh as they sit at the stop sign that will take them down the street to Tavros’s house.

“Everything okay?” Tavros asks. 

“Moms home,” Vriska says, and it’s enough to tell Tavros not to ask anymore. Ever since they were kids he wasn’t really allowed over at the Serket’s home; mostly because Vriska never wanted to be there.

“Can I go with you to the store?” Tavros asks as they sit. He checks the rearview mirror to make sure no one is behind them.

“And how are you going to get back?” Vriska asks. “I don’t have time to bring you back here.”

“I’ll walk,” Tavros says.

“You ca--” she freezes as she says it before she look at him. He smiles at her and reaches over to squeeze her hand. 

“Shall we go steal the sleeping potion to stop Captain Mindfang?” he asks. It was what they used to say when they were children when they would walk down to the dollar mart to get Vriska tonic water on the way home. It was the name she called her mother, though he never understood why.

“Move over, Pan,” Vriska says with a smile. “You don’t have your flyers permit yet.”  
\-------  
When they get to Vriska’s house she is holding the steering wheel white knuckled despite the light hearted adventure they took to the dollar store. The laughter had petered out the closer they got to her home, and Tavros wasn’t sure how to break it, so he didn’t. They pull into the driveway and Tavros can hear yelling inside.

“You know,” he says softly. “You can come, um, sleep at my place if you really need to. I-if it, uh, gets bad.” 

Vriska doesn’t say anything as they both climb out of the car. Tavros shuts his door and turns only to be wrapped in a very tight hug. The coolness of the tonic water rests against his arm, but Vriska is warm, her hair soft on his cheek. It was originally a surprise to them both that he was slightly taller than her now that he could stand up straight, but now it feels just about right. He wraps his arms around her shoulders and holds her.

“Don’t change, Tavros,” she says, and her voice sounds scratchy. “Don’t grow up. If you fucking do I’ll skin you myself.” The kiss she presses to his cheek is warm and wet, and it takes Tavros completely by surprise as she turns and hurries into her home. A moment later the volume doubles. He stands out by the beat up old jeep, stares at the curtain covered windows, and suddenly feels very old. There is a particularly loud shout and Tavros turns to walk the eight blocks back to his own house.

Most of the walk is along house filled streets and over the town main street that has the dollar store and gas station on it where it crosses to his street. There is a rather large park just a couple blocks from Tavros’s house as well, and when he reaches it he feels a sense of awe at seeing how much it has changed. Once he was put in the wheel change he couldn’t really go to the park anymore, and he didn’t really want to. There was too much he couldn’t do, and he was a pisspoor kraken when his wheels kept getting stuck in the stand under the bridge.

Now the trees look a bit taller, the old metal slides have been replaced with hard plastic, and the sand is now what looks to be rubber chips. It makes his body bounce oddly as he walks. Above him the sky is starting to grow dark with clouds, threatening rain. He can feel the humidity in the warm September air. There are no children on the playground this late, most already at home eating dinner. His father is away again, and it sucks. When he was sick his father never left this often, but now that he’s able bodied he barely ever sees him.

Sitting on a swing, Tavros reaches up and touches his cheek. The wetness has dried, but he can still feel it. He hasn’t seen Vriska cry in a long time, not since they were children. He didn’t understand what was happening in the Serket household back then, but now? Well everyone has their demons. At least when he had his sickness Tavros could get support. Vriska never talked about her mother, or the bruises that she would cover up with long sleeve shirts. She had made Tavros swear never to tell anyone here on this very playground. The two of them had twisted their pinkies together and bit one anothers thumbs so hard they almost bled. Vriska had only stopped when Tavros had looked like he was about to cry she was biting so hard.

“Now you can’t break it,” Vriska had said as Tavros had sniffled. “If you do your thumb will hurt like that forever.” As an eight year old it was enough of a threat to keep him from saying anything. Then his duchenne muscular dystrophy had taken over, and Vriska had stopped talking about her family all together, not that she had talked about them much in the first place. That was also when she had stopped staying over at night. The realization makes Tavros bow his head.

“I’m sorry, Vriska,” he murmurs as he stares down at his legs. “I was more useless than I thought.” Wetness beads in the corners of his eyes and he thinks about calling the police. There are hotlines, ways to get ahold of people, but what would it do? She’s a year from being 18. One more year and she can leave, both her and Aranea. The only reason her older sister even stuck around was to make sure Vriska wasn’t alone.

There is an icy sting in his belly and he lets out a little gasp. Hands wrap around his shoulders as a cold mouth presses to his neck. For a moment Tavros feels panic as he looks to see if anyone has seen, but there is no one around. As soon as he realizes this he relaxes into the grip. “Hey, Tavbro,” Gamzee murmurs into his ear as he leans back against him. “Looks like I came at just the right time to turn that frown upside down.” The words are soft, comforting, and Tavros feels the tears come a bit faster. Tavros looks up as Gamzee comes around the swing. “Up,” he says, and Tavros does as he’s told. Gamzee takes his place before reaching out for Tavros. It’s an awkward couple of moments as Gamzee arranges Tavros’s legs to straddle his hips so that they are trapped between his sides and the chains; the position making Tavros face him with tear trails on his cheeks.

Gamzee kicks off the ground backwards, leaning back and forcing Tavros to grab onto the plastic coated chains as well to keep balance. “Tell me what’s up brother,” Gamzee says as they start to move.

“I’m a horrible friend,” Tavros says in response. “I-I never realized it, but I was a horrible friend for a long time.” Gamzee moves a bit more, his hips pushing up against Tavros’s with each move. It is a little distracting, and it makes Tavros stutter as he continues. “She was always with me for all the sh-shit I went through, never even t-talked about her mom when I got in that d-damn wheelchair. And what did I do? N-nothing,” he sniffles. “Absolutely nothing.” 

“Hey,” Gamzee says softly as he keeps them rocking, his hips shifting beneath Tavros’s with each tilt of the swing. “It’s okay, you had your own shit all up and plaguing you. Whoever this sister is, she up and got that. Now you can return the favor ten fold and all that shit now that you don’t have to worry yourself so motherfucking much.” 

“B-but I feel like its, ah,” he lets out a little sound as he slips down a on the next rock of the swing and feels Gamzee pushing up against him. “L-like it’s too late.” 

Gamzee is smiling up at him just a little as he keeps swinging. The friction beneath Tavros grows as they get higher, the shifting of going from front to back steepening the angle each time. “Never too late to be a good friend,” Gamzee says. “Not unless someone’s dead.” 

“I-I gue-” Gamzee’s mouth is cool as it cuts him off, swallowing down whatever he was going to say. Tavros follows Gamzee’s lips when he leans back as they swing. Tavros lets go of the chain with one hand to wrap it around Gamzee’s shoulders. Gamzee’s so cold beneath his hands, but it feels good to him; he feels too warm with all the emotions wrapped up inside him. The way he kisses Gamzee is almost like he is drinking him down, trying to pull his coolness ]into himself. One of Gamzee’s hands leaves the swing, the side Tavros is still hanging onto, and grips his back side. On the next swing upwards he pushes him down and Tavros lets out a little gasp. 

“How those leg pieces of yours all up and treating you?” Gamzee asks when he pulls away to breath. His voice has deepened into its raspy tone, and it makes Tavros’s cock twitch.

“G-good,” Tavros pants. “No p-pain or anything anymore.” 

“That so,” Gamzee says as he squeezes Tavros’s ass again. “Then I guess you’d be all up and ready to use those new miracle legs to put that dick of yours to use in me.” 

Whatever Tavros was expecting it was not that. He stutters in his slight grinding movement as Gamzee keeps them swinging. “W-what?” he asks a bit confused. Had he heard him right? He couldn’t have.

“You heard me motherfucker,” Gamzee says with a lazy grin. The shadows of Gamzee’s blood paint are just barely showing over his skin. “Now that you’re all healed up you can put it in me, make me all up and scream for once.” He leans in closer to Tavros. “And let me tell you, Tavros, you hit me just right and I’ll sing some miracles for you.” 

Tavros finds himself feeling just a little speechless and very aroused. Gamzee wants him to top? The thought had never really crossed his mind as anything more than something fleeting. Why would he want Tavros to top him? 

“So what do you say? Want to give it a shot?” Gamzee asks with another squeeze before pushing Tavros down against him as he swings them forwards.

“Yes,” Tavros gasps as his cock runs his brain for a moment. Gamzee’s feet hit the chips of rubber to stop them. It jars Tavros a little, but as soon as they stop Gamzee kisses him. It is a bit harsher, but not hard. Tavros returns it, because he wants this, wants this quite badly actually. He has the chance to make Gamzee feel good after all the stuff he’s done to fix him, and yes the demon can scare him shitless, but right now he isn’t thinking about that. He’s thinking about what it will feel like to slip into something cool and tight, to see what faces Gamzee will make while he’s inside him. 

“Let’s go home,” Tavros says as he climbs off the swing with a little difficulty and reaches for Gamzee.

Gamzee shakes his head. “Nah,” he says and stands. “Want you to take me right there under these motherfucking eaves,” Gamzee says and pulls Tavros in close. “Fuck me on that spiders web of rope over there and leave me with the burns.”

Tavros looks over to where Gamzee is talking about. He knows the spider web well. It is a series of ropes that crisscross and knot with the ends being connected to two poles that make the ropes hang like a taco. He used to play on it with Vriska, climbing over the ropes from one side to the other while she would reach through and try to grab him. She always did love being the spider. There is a kind of roof is over it, like most of the jungle gym, giving it the barest protection from the rain.

“B-but what if someone shows up?” he asks. 

“No ones going to show up,” Gamzee says with a smile. “Not with this storm bubbling all up and over our heads like a witches brew.”

Tavros looks up at the sky and sees that it has definitely gotten darker. He blinks as something lands near his eye and reaches up to wipe it away.

“See,” Gamzee says as the telltale sound of drops start to play over the trees. “It’s all up and ready to crack open the floodgates and bathe this lands in it’s own little miracles.” 

Another drop lands on Tavros’s head. Its coolness is refreshing in the warmth, like Gamzee, and for some reason it spurs him on. Hooking a hand around Gamzee’s neck, Tavros pushes him back towards the spider web. The opening is thankfully facing them, and when they get to it Gamzee grips the rope webbing as Tavros kisses him down into it. It’s a bit awkward balancing on the rope strands with his hands and knees, but he manages as Gamzee reaches up and wraps his hands in Tavros’s hair.

“Do you have, um, lube?” Tavros asks as he pulls away. The question makes him feel a bit shy, but his cock twitches all the same at the thought.

“Course my brother,” Gamzee says with a chuckle. “But we need to get all up and out of these clothes first now don’t we, or at least you do.” 

Tavros blinks and suddenly he has a very naked Gamzee under him. Again he looks around the park, but the increasing droplets of rain are keeping people in their homes. Somewhere in the distance there is a roll of thunder. Tavros looks back at Gamzee and licks his lips. It’s very odd being in control; it is even odder that he’s about to fuck a demon on a playground, but his life hasn’t exactly been normal for quite some time now, so he’s not going to think too hard on it. It’s about time he stopped thinking actually.

His shirt gets tossed up over the bar holding up the ropes followed by his pants and boxers while he shoves his shoes as close to the jungle gym as he can. A cool wind blows through, and while it would have probably made him shiver once, it does little more than tickle his skin now that Gamzee has desensitized him to the cold. 

“There we go,” Gamzee purrs and reaches for Tavros. He goes, leaning down to kiss him as his toes curl in the rubber chips and his knees balance on the rope. Gamzee keeps his feet on the rope just outside of Tavros’s knees, keeping his own knees bent as the rest of his body is held up by the coarse strands. His mouth is colder now, and Tavros does shiver as their chests push together and the rain starts to come down thicker around them. He traces his hands over Gamzee’s body and feels just how hard the muscle beneath is. It feels like he has been carved from ice, everything chiseled into place under his skin. Tavros wonders for a moment if he could melt Gamzee like Gamzee freezes him. The idea makes him duck his head to kiss over Gamzee’s chest and stomach down towards his cock.

Once he gets there he pauses. Sucking cock isn’t really something Tavros has thought too hard on; getting sucked off again by Gamzee yes, and maybe others, but not really giving it. He takes it in his hands and blinks away the stray raindrops that blow under the canopy above them. Gamzee lets out a little groan as Tavros gives it a squeeze and strokes. A few more strokes and he leans his head down and takes the tip in his mouth. For a moment he thinks his tongue might stick, but it amazingly doesn’t as he slides his mouth down the others dick and takes as much as he can, which isn’t much. Damn.

“Just take what you can,” Gamzee tells him as his fingers wrap in his hair. Tavros makes a hum of a response and is surprised at the way Gamzee’s hips twitch. He runs his tongue up the underside and strokes what he can not fit into his mouth as he slides it back down. Again, he can’t get more than a few inches, but he finds that as long as he keeps one hand pumping and his tongue moving, Gamzee doesn’t seem to really mind. After a few moments he tastes something bitter on his tongue, though not necessarily bad, and realizes that he is tasting Gamzee. He comes off with a pop.

“Y-you taste pretty good,” he says over the rain patters on the plastic roof above them. Gamzee chuckles at him in response. “No, really, it’s not bad at all,” Tavros says and flicks his tongue over the tip. Gamzee lets out a little sound and bucks upwards. He lifts his hand suddenly and holds out a vial to Tavros.

“You better start prepping me or I’m gonna lose it and fuck that mouth piece of yours until I’ll have to rebuild your throat.”

Tavros knows that Gamzee doesn’t mean it as a threat, but that’s what it sounds like as he swallows what little spit is left in his mouth after the comment. He takes the vial and pulls the top off before pouring the same warm substance over his fingers as last time. He rubs his fingers together with it on them, marveling at its warmth before sitting back on the rope above his heels. Gamzee spreads his legs a little further apart so Tavros can get a goodlook at him, and while he never thought he would find such a sight sexy, his cock aches. With slightly trembling hands he reaches between Gamzee’s legs and pushes his fingers to his hole. He expects the resistance, it’s what happened with him after all, but he doesn’t expect the tightness to swallow him so readily when he adds a bit of force.

“Wow,” he breathes as he watches his finger slowly dissapear into Gamzee.

“Been hungry for ya,” Gamzee tells him as his hips lift up towards him. “Been wanting to see what you could do first night I laid hands on you.” 

Tavros feels a warm blush on his cheeks as he slides his finger in and out, crooking it now and again to see how Gamzee will react. He adds the second once Gamzee feels a little looser, and is rewarded with a low groan as he pushes them inside and scissors them. Tavros’s dick twitches between his legs as he watches his fingers move in and out, disappearing into the demon below him. 

“D-do you like that?” he asks and looks up. His hand stutters as he looks at Gamzee’s face. His eyes are glowing with that odd light again, and his skin is turning paler with each press of his fingers. Gamzee’s let out small clouds of cold air as he pants.

“More, Tavros,” he says, and his voice is rougher than Tavros has ever heard it before. “Give me more.” 

Tavros does as he is asked, adding another fingers and spreading them the second he has them as far in as they can go. He feels something against the pad of his middle finger and rubs over it. Gamzee’s back comes up off the ropes and his hands grabs tight at the ones beneath him. Tavros can see the claws.

“Get inside me, now,” He demands. Tavros pulls his hand away to slick himself up, and the sound Gamzee makes at the loss has him moving as quickly as possible. Around them the wind has picked up, blowing more rain under their cover. Where it hits Gamzee, Tavros can see little frost like patterns. The world lights up just a bit and thunder rolls over them; it isn’t so far off anymore.

Tavros positions himself over Gamzee, toes digging into the tire chips as he slowly pushes forwards into Gamzee’s cool tightness. If he thought his body was confused by the battle of warm and cold before, it’s nothing compared to his cock trying to figure it out.

“F-fuck, Gamzee,” Tavros grits out as the temperatures battle one another. Gamzee’s feet wrap around his hips and push him in deeper. 

“Move,” he demands. 

Tavros moves. At first it is hard to find a rhythm, his hands unsure of where to grab with the ropes, but he finally settles on using the ones near Gamzee’s shoulders. The position is awkward at first, but soon he is finding that he can move pretty well.

“Yes,” Gamzee moans as his nails dig into the rope. “Come on, use your legs, harder,” he demands. Tavros tries to dig his toes in deeper into the rubber, but it doesn’t work. They slide, and the rain is starting to blow in much more frequently, making them wet and almost too slick to get any purchase. “Tavros,” Gamzee growls low in his throat. It is almost drowned out by the rain.

“One sec,” he pants as he shifts around. He ends up having to pull out of Gamzee for a moment, earning an angry snarl and flash of eyes, but once he gets settled again all seems forgiven. The rope he had been putting his knees on he now has over them with his knees in the rubber chips; his hips line up almost perfectly with Gamzee’s backside with the ropes holding him up. Tavros grabs Gamzee’s hips and pushes back inside, his hands holding tight as he lifts up on his knees to thrust hard and deep into Gamzee. “H-how’s that?” he asks over the roar of the falling rain as he pulls Gamzee forwards with each of his thrusts.

“Yes,” Gamzee pants as his hips move up with each pull from Tavros, allowing him deeper. Tavros drops his stance slightly and feels the small swelling inside Gamzee as he thrusts. The reaction is instantaneous as Gamzee bucks up hard and lets out a cry that Tavros almost has to stop it’s so hot. “More,” Gamzee demands as he looks up. “Harder.” Tavro finds his hips obeying even as his heart speeds up with a tinge of fear. He knows how Gamzee put ruts in the wall now. Two large, twisting horns push up and out of his skull, each well over a foot long, maybe even two. Tavros stares at them for a moment as he moves before Gamzee snarls and wraps his legs around Tavros’s back and pulls him in hard. “When I say harder, motherfucker,” he growls as lightning flashes. “I mean it.” 

Thunder cracks, and something snaps as Gamzee looks Tavros straight in the eye. Tavros rams Gamzee hard, all of his fear and a sudden surge of something akin to anger spiking through him. He wants him to show him hard? Tavros can show him hard. He’s understood it all his life, about time he showed it to someone else.

“Come here,” Tavros says, and is that really his voice? He doesn’t recognize it through the rain and thunder. Lightning crackles somewhere close, the hairs on his arms lifting for a moment, and he doesn’t care. All he cares about is wrapping his hand around Gamzee’s horn and kissing him as he fucks him. Tavros fucks Gamzee like Gamzee fucked him, harsh and unrelenting, and there is something about it that makes him feel like he is in control; that nothing can stop him. It makes him feel like...like…

He wraps a hand around Gamzee’s cock and strokes. “Mine,” he growls against Gamzee’s mouth, and it takes them both by surprise is seems because Gamzee cums at the word. 

“Yes,” the demon chokes out as icy seman shoots between the two of them, a few drops hitting Tavros’s chest but mostly pouring over his hand. Everything in Gamzee goes tight when he cums, and Tavros finds he can’t last with his rough pace and the sudden tightness around him. He cums still buried inside Gamzee, just like Gamzee had done to him. Above them there is another crackle of electricity and a nearby tree goes down. Thunder rolls almost deafeningly loud as Gamzee crushes their lips together and rain water whips at them beneath the playgrounds cover. It has an icy sting to it, but Tavros doesn’t care. He kisses Gamzee hard, bits his lips for once, and eats the sated moan Gamzee releases as Tavros pulls his cock out of him. Gamzee’s horns are still out when he pulls away, and he grabs one. Gamzee follows the pull upwards, his legs shaking as Tavros pulls him from the ropes. Nothing can beat him now, no disease, no crisis, not even this demon.

They kiss hard, though it is Gamzee who talks this time. “You belong to me,” he hears through the whipping wind as Gamzee’s lips move over his mouth. “No one else, you belong to me.”

He lets out something like a ‘Yes’ before claws dig into his back and he lets out a gasp. The feeling of pain and endorphins as they heal quickly makes his head spin. He sobs in a mixture of pleasure and pain just as lighting cracks and somewhere behind him a tree is struck, limbs cracking as they blow off. The scream that follows is loud enough that not even the thunder can cover it up.

Tavros tears himself away from Gamzee and looks into the rain. Even with the curtains of rain he can just barely make out a shape on the ground; a shape with a very familiar curtain of hair splayed over the concrete path..

“Vriska!” he runs, not caring that Gamzee’s claws leave cuts over his flesh. Wood cuts into his feet as he runs over sharp debris, but he doesn’t feel it. Vriska is laying under what looks to be a very large tree branch, the thick base laying over her right arm. Tavros can see the blood already soaking into her shirt despite the waters best efforts to wash it away. There is blood dripping down the side of her face.

“Vriska,” he says over the rain. “Oh god, Vriska.”

“Tav-ros?” she asks and turns her head. Oh god, oh god her eye, he can’t stop staring at where her eye should be, not a bloody hole. “Why are you, naked? What’s, going on?” Her speech is halting as she looks up at him. It’s easy to tell she is going into shock, and he reaches down to cradle her head with hands hands.

He lets out a sob. As she blinks up through the thinning rain at him. Her glasses are completely missing.

“Come on, Pan. Lost boys don’t, cry.” She’s smiling at him and goes to lift her hand. Her face twists and she lets out a sob. The pain seems to make some of the shock retreat. “Oh god,” she pants as she looks at herself. “Oh god.” 

“Shh, shh, we’ll get you help. Y-you’re going to be okay. Gamzee!” he calls over his shoulder. The demon hasn’t moved from where he left him. “Gamzee, please.” He turns back to Vriska. “Why are you out here?” he asks her.

“Was going to your place, remember,” she tells him. “Told me I could crash.” 

Tavros lets out a sob that makes his throat ache. No, no. “Wh-why didn’t you take your car? Huh? Why d-didn’t you take your car. Gamzee!” he screams over his shoulder. The thunder rolls in the distance.

“Bitch took my keys after I told her I was, l-leaving,” Vriska says as her breathing starts to become labored. Tavros can hear the slapping of feet behind him. “T-told her I finally had somewhere else I could g-go.”

Tavros grits his teeth as he sobs through them. “You a-always had a place to go,” he hiccups. “Always.” The icy hand on his shoulder startles him a little. Jerking his head up he looks at Gamzee. “Help her,” he begs. “Help her, please. You’ve g-got to help her.”

Gamzee just looks down at him and then over at Vriska. Her eyes are wide as she stares up at him. His horns are still out.

His voice is bland when he speaks. “Can’t do a motherfucking thing for her.”

Tavros’s heart jerks in his chest. “W-what?” Tavros croaks.

“Not part of the deal Tavbro,” Gamzee replies. “I only lay my hands up and on you.” 

Tavros stares up at him for a moment in silence. He had to be joking, this had to be some fucked up joke. He could heal her, all he had to do was touch her, but instead… Tavros stares up at him with pleading eyes, but all he sees is ice. Realization hits him hard enough to stop his breathing for a moment. He doesn’t own Gamzee at all, Gamzee owns him. Owns his body and will do to it as he will; he will devour him and put him back together. Without him he wouldn’t be cured, probably not even alive. The rain is suddenly very cold, and Vriska isn’t nearly warm enough. 

The idea that comes to him is out before he can think it through. “Then change the deal.” Tavros grits out at him. Gamzee just looks down at him with cold eyes before squatting next to him.

“You want to change the deal?” Gamzee asks and tilts his head in interest.

“Yes,” Tavros bites out. Gamzee licks his lips in response before he smiles. It makes Tavros bare his teeth as he feels Vriska growing colder in his hands.

“State your terms motherfucker.”

“Fix her,” Tavros says. “Let her live. Just fucking fix her, I’ll do anything.” The second the words are out of his mouth he regrets them. The flash of Gamzee’s eyes are like a knife through his stomach as he smiles.

“Deal,” Gamzee says. Reaching over he grabs the branch on top of Vriska and flips it off of her as if it is nothing. Vriska struggles to get away, head wrenching out of Tavros’s hands. 

“Vriska, shh, stay still. He’s going to fix you,” he says in broken sobs as he pulls her head back into his lap.

“No,” she says and shakes her head. “No, Tavros no.”

Tavros watches wide eyed as Gamzee moves over to her and does just what Tavros told him to do. He fixes her. She screams as her skin and bone knits back together, the flesh over her eye healing as the orb of her eyeball reforms. Only it isn’t blue like it should be. Instead it sits milky in the socket, and her arm doesn’t look like it’s going back to it’s regular shape. 

“There you go,” Gamzee says as he lifts his hands up. There isn’t any blood, no torn flesh, but her arm is still broken, and her eye swivels in its socket unseeing. 

“I told you to fix her,” Tavros snarls as he wraps his fingers in her hair. She is sobbing with her eyes wide open.

“And I did,” Gamzee says. “Fixed her enough that she’ll live.” 

Tavros throws the punch blindly at Gamzee face. The demon easily catches it. “You bastard!” he screams. “Fix her, fix her!” 

“I did,” Gamzee says as he moves closer. “Did just like you motherfucking said Tavbro. Fixed her up and now she’ll live.” He stands and tugs Tavros roughly upwards. It jerks Vriska’s head as well with his fingers in her hair, and she lets out a choked cry. 

“Vriska,” Tavros sobs as Gamzee pulls him close. “Vriska, Vriska I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.”

“Tavros,” she says as she tries to sit up. She hisses in pain and collapses. “Tavros, don’t. Take it back,” she says and looks up at Gamzee. “Take it back.”

“Sorry bitch,” Gamzee says coolly as he wraps his arms around Tavros’s body. Tavros thrashes against him, unable to even make the demon budge. “My deal wasn’t with you.” He kisses Tavros’s head. “Say bye Tavbro.”

He freezes. “W-what?”

“We’re going home.” Gamzee is smiling, and it is horrifying with the red smeared around it.

“I-” His eyes go wide. “No. No, I-I didn’t mean-”

“You said anything,” Gamzee says as he grabs a handful of Tavros’s ass. “Now say goodbye.”

“Tavros,” he hears behind her. When he looks he can tell she’s barely holding onto consciousness. “Pan?”

Tavros swallows and feels his throat click. He’s so scared, so very scared. ‘Never step inside a circle with a demon’ he thinks. “It’s okay Tink,” he says softly. “I’ll be okay. I’m going to neverla-”

Vriska stares at the empty space in front of her, at the place where Tavros was. “Tavros?” she says into the pattering drops of rain. There is nothing. “TAVROS!” She lurches to her feet and stumbles. She tries to catch herself with her broken arm, feels it go numb as bone spikes through something near her shoulder, and passes out. 

She is found by a man walking his dog through the debris who calls an ambulance. The entire way she keeps mumbling about needing to go to neverland, that Pan needs her. He can’t fly without his Tink.

After a four hour surgery that saves her arm, but not all of her nerves, Vriska lives. 

Doctors say it’s a miracle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't kill me. I cried the entire time I wrote this thing. Last chapter coming after I finish Salivating.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you who have not read 'Salavating' you may want to go read that short story first. It will make this chapter make much more sense.
> 
> Besides that, enjoy. And as always, sorry if I missed any mistakes. It is finals week, and my brain is fried.

Rufioh touches up the circle for what must be the fourth time now; the chalk paint having smudged where he had dragged his foot over it a few days ago. He can still see the smudges underneath, but it should work okay; at least he hopes it will. That is if he even uses it. He’s had the book in his possession for a over a month now, having found it in Tavros’s closet during Thanksgiving break when he had gone through his stuff looking for clues. It had told him everything he needed to do, yet every time he’s come down to the basement to complete the ritual he’s chickened out for one reason or another. Had he read everything right? Were the offerings good enough? Could the demons he had found really help him?

Out of all of the ones in the book, he is down to two. The first one is dubbed ‘The Demon of Secrets’ while the other is ‘The Demon of Knowledge’. Thanks to Vriska's drugged up ramblings, he also knows which demon Tavros summoned. She said his name was Gamzee, and he is ‘The Demon of Flesh’ if the google translation is right. It would explain why his brother had healed when so many had told him it was impossible because without the demon it would have been. Rufioh doesn’t want to summon him though. His title doesn’t instill good thoughts, and Vriska hadn’t had the best information on him. He needs to know what he is up against before he tries summoning. Besides, there is a good chance he wouldn’t even show up no matter what he offered.

“He’s tall,” Vriska had told him in her hospital room the week after Tavros had disappeared. Her eyes had been unfocussed, her blonde hair a curtain around her head that covered her now blinded eye. “Tall and...scary,” she had mumbled as she looked down at her arm. The brace was keeping it in place, screws keeping the bone from moving. It looked like a torture device, and Rufioh could understand why she was on so many pain meds. It didn’t help that she apparently thrashed in her sleep, damaging the arm even more in the night. “Made me eat too much once,” she told him. “Didn’t realize it until he took Tavros, but he told me to shut up and eat once, and I did. Ate until I got sick.” 

“Can you tell me anything else?” Rufioh had asked her as she twitched her fingers under all that metal. She had told him all that already, same with the police.

“He can heal you,” she murmured. “And he can tear you apart,” was all she replied with before she stopped responding and started down at her hand. He hand't understood what she had meant then, but with the book in hand, he's got a good idea of what she was talking about.

Rufioh had thought about asking one of his classmates, Cronus Ampora, about Gamzee as well. No matter what Cronus had told him, Rufioh still doesn’t believe that the fire he had caused in their dorm had been an accident. He had seen the room when it had first caught fire, and it wasn’t a blaze caused by a candle. The wounds on Cronus’s forehead weren’t from a trip and fall, and while the cops hadn’t seen it before it burned away, the symbol on the floor had been anything but holy. When he had asked, Cronus had refused to help him, and if he told him what he was planning he doubts the freshman would tell him anything else but ‘don’t do it’.

“Don’t go making any deals with demons,” Cronus had told him before he left the hospital after the fire. “They tend to go sour.” He had tried though, sent him e-mails and tried to call. When he called Cronus’s house his brother had told him that no one knew where Cronus was. That he had up and left as soon as he had been well enough to and hadn’t sent more than a few random postcards to Eridan for his collection. 

“Last postcard I got from him was from Boston,” Eridan had told him. “No return address or anything. Just had him saying he was okay and that he loved us.” There hadn’t received anymore yet.

Well whatever. Rufioh isn’t planning on making any deals, he’s just looking for information. He can’t fuck that up, right? As long as the demon takes his offering it will tell him what he wants. That’s what Rufioh hopes at least.

He dabs at the circle with the paintbrush before pulling away. Everything looks good, now the question is if he can go through with this or if he’ll back out again. Outside he can hear the wind howling, blowing the snow on the ground into drifts. Down here in the basement he can almost see his breath, the heater not doing much for the stone room. 

Upstairs the house is empty. Two days until Christmas and he hasn’t seen his father in almost two weeks. The man is a phantom, leaving for days and weeks at a time. Even when Rufioh had come home for Thanksgiving he had barely been around, both physically and mentally. He had moved around the house like a ghost, silent, and haunting. Rufioh had found him in Tavros’s room one night holding his braces and sitting in his wheelchair. He had been silently sobbing as he held them. Rufioh didn’t let him know he had seen.

“Okay,” he says and turns to the book he has set on the workbench. Next to it, he has the google translated version of the writing, and below that his best tweaks to make it sound like actual sentences. No matter who he calls it’s the same summoning, just using a different name and items. He still needs to decide who he’s going to try for. Next to the book is the backpack he had found it in. The bag now holds the five candles that were in it before and the different offerings he will be using. To the left of the backpack sits a cage. Inside a white rabbit is hunched, nose wiggling. He bought her at the beginning of winter break when he had come home with a 1.8 GPA for the semester. Rufioh doesn’t look at her anymore than he has to as he opens the bag. He hasn’t even tried pet her since he bought her, just fed and watered her. No point in growing attached.

Taking the candles he goes to set them around the circle. One at each point before coming back and looking at the offerings. The raw steak is the same for both, same thing with the rabbit, and the bracelet he wears around his wrist is the third. It is made out of twisted black and red yarn wound around old straps of leather. His mother had taught him and Tavros to make such bracelets when they were kids, and Tavros had made it for him almost ten years ago. It had been much too big then, but now it fits snug against his flesh. He isn’t quite sure how he’s going to get it off. 

“Time to decide,” he murmurs as he looks down at the other possible offerings. ‘The demon of Secrets doesn’t want for food,’ the books says, ‘but does enjoy drink’. A bottle of red wine sits on the counter, taken from his his father’s small wine cabinet. He doubts he’ll even notice it’s gone. The second one had been tricky. He likes games, and being a keeper of secrets Rufioh had finally decided on buying a game called ‘Boxers or Briefs’. A crude title, but the whole point of the game was to make people spill their guts. 

For the demon of Knowledge it was something very different. He was always searching for new things to know, and that had made at least one of his items easy. In a bookstore he had found a hardback copy of an encyclopedia filled with information on things that had happened in the past year. The other offering had been a little harder. ‘He enjoys the fruit of eden’. At least that was what the translation had come out to be. Only problem is Rufioh has no idea what the ‘fruit of eden’ is, though he assumes it is in reference to the fruit of knowledge. Despite his best efforts on finding out just what that fruit is he instead bought a few of each type that was speculated, creating a large fruit bowl filled with everything from figs to grapes. He had gone to the store and re-bought everything today, making sure they were as fresh as possible. 

“The Demon of Secrets can tell you of anything that has been lost,” he murmurs as he reads through the general descriptions he has translated. He flips through his papers to where the Demon of Knowledge is located. “Can answer any question posed, though will demand knowledge in return.” Both will work, but which one would be best?

He grabs the fruit bowl and book. Tavros was lost, but only to Rufioh. If he was with the demons then who better to ask than the demon that knew everything? He sets the two offerings in two of their slots before preparing the rest, setting everything to the side. When he removes his bracelet he is almost afraid he’ll have to cut it, but it comes off in the end. The rabbit sits with its back pressed against the cage as it faces the circle while Rufioh lights the candles. When he finishes, Rufioh looks over the circle, his notes, and the offerings. 

“Alright,” he says and licks his lips. He shivers as a gust of wind rattles the windows. “Lets try this.” Clearing his throat he looks down at the incantation. “Lord Satan,” he starts. “By your grace, grant me the power to think of, and execute, that which I desire to happen. To achieve the ends that I desire by thy help, O Mighty Satan, the one True God who lives and reigns forever and ever.” He glances down at the candles and feels a shiver go through his spine as he watches their flames stand up straight. “I entreat thee to inspire Kankri Vantas, the holder of knowledge, to manifest before me so that he may provide me with answers; so that I may accomplish my desired ends, provided that he can do so.” The flames wiggle gently one at a time, going round the circle in a pattern as he speaks. “I respectfully and humbly ask for this in Your Name, Lord Satan, may you deem me worthy, Father” 

Rufioh ruffles the pages he holds to show the next page he has translated. “I desire to know where my brother, Tavros Nitram, is, and how I may come to collect him and bring him home.” He goes to his knees as he speaks and pulls the cage towards him. “In exchange I offer these gifts. Knowledge of our time, fruit from the vine, flesh, blood, and something dear to me.” As soon as he finishes he opens the rabbits cage. It goes to bolt, but he manages to catch it by the scruff. It fights him, kicking into the air and twisting. A few scratches raise over his wrists, but he gets control over it in the end.

“I’m sorry,” he grits out as he pulls it close to his chest. “I’m sorry.” The knife draws over its throat, and a noise he has never heard before comes from it just before he severs the wind pipe. Blood pours from it’s neck and into the bowl, some of it dripping over his fingers. He sits there and lets it bleed, squeezing it now and again until it slows to drips. He puts it back in the cage with shaking hands. The blood on his fingers leaves marks on his bracelet when he picks it up, and already he can see it trying to soak into the cracked leather. He stares at the bracelet a moment before taking his lighter and touching it to it. The second it touches the yarn the whole thing goes up in flames, and Rufioh falls back in surprise. The small fire flickers over the basement walls, much brighter than the light over head. Rufioh stares at it before remembering he isn’t done.

“W-with these gifts,” he says, and he has to pause to regain his composure. “With these gifts I ask you, Kankri Vantas, holder of knowledge, will you help me find my brother?” He jumps as the light above him suddenly goes out. Jolting he looks towards the stairs and sees that they have gone dark as well. The wind howls outside. Turning away he goes to look through one of the windows and sees that the whole street has gone dark.

“Did I do that?” he murmurs out loud.

“No, it was just a dramatic coincidence.”

Rufioh spins and presses his back against the wall. In the center of the circle, a young man about his age is illuminated by the five candles. He has dark hair and tanned skin from what Rufioh can make out in the firelight. He is also completely nude as he sits crosslegged in the circle, back straight and hands in his lap; red eyes lock on Rufioh.

“I have to say I am a bit impressed. It is rare that anyone does things the old fashioned way anymore, let alone the safe way.” He reaches for the bowl of fruit and picks up a bunch of grapes. “I must say, I’ve missed the gifts.” He pulls one off and pops it into his mouth before letting out a hum.

“K-kankri?” Rufioh asks as he steps towards the circle.

“Yes,” he answers before taking another grape. He eyes the book and goes to pick it up as well.

Holy fuck it worked. Kankri is here in his basement, and he’s accepted his gifts. Rufioh approaches him slowly as Kankri flips through pages and pulls grapes from the vine with his teeth.

“You’re looking for your brother, correct?” Kankri asks, and Rufioh jumps. 

“Y-yeah,” he says and comes to stand before the circle. “I think he was taken by-”

“By Gamzee Makara, you would be correct.” Kankri lets his eyes flick up at him before going back to the book. “Please sit.” 

Rufioh quickly does so. “T-then you know where he is?” Rufioh asks. 

“Yes,” Kankri replies.

“And you know how I can get him back?”

“Possibly.” Kankri flips a page.

“Then, please tell me.” Rufioh is sitting as close to the circle as he dares. 

“What will you give me in return?” Kankri asks as he reaches for the bowl of blood. Rufioh tastes bile on the back of his tongue as Kankri lifts the bowl to his mouth and sips from it.

“Give?” he asks as his eyes watch Kankri’s throat work. “But I already gave the offerings.”

“Those are just to get me here,” Kankri replies as he sets the bowl down. “And let me say, they are quite nice.”

Rufioh feels panic in his chest. What could he possibly give Kankri? The book says he likes knowledge, but besides books what could he give him? “W-what would you want?” Rufioh asks finally. If he says his soul he doesn’t know what he’ll do. Kankri looks up from the book and closes it. 

“I want to make a deal,” Kankri replies. 

Rufioh feels a chill go through him. ‘Don’t make deals with demons’.

He doesn’t like the way Kankri’s mouth is going up at the corners..

“W-what kind of deal?” he asks and shifts.

“I’ve lost something in your world,” Kankri says as he moves to sit closer to the line of the circle. “Something very dear to me, much like your brother is to you. I want him back.”

“Him?” Rufioh asks.

“Yes, him,” Kankri replies. “You help me find him, and I will help you get your brother back.” 

“Who is it?” he asks.

“That shouldn’t really concern you now should it? But if you must know, it is someone who already made a deal with me. He tried to break it, but failed. He did find a way to keep me from him though,” Kankri’s eyes flash. “But with your help I can claim what is mine, and we can get your brother back.”

Rufioh thinks about that for a minute. Something feels wrong here, but what else is he going to do? “What about the Demon of Secrets? Could he help me?”

Kankri scoffs. “Kurloz? He won’t part with any of his information, not unless you’re willing to pay with it for an even higher price than what I’m asking.”

“Like what?” Rufioh isn’t sure he wants to know.

“Like your whole being,” Kankri says it like it should be obvious. “Me, I’m offering you a deal where you get what you want, and I get what I want. No loss on your part, only gain.” Kankri’s eyes are steady as they stare at him. “So, do we have a deal?”

Rufioh bites at his lip. Fuck, fuck he had thought he would just tell him what he needed. He didn’t expect this.

“You know, I’ve met Tavros,” Kankri says after a few moments. Rufioh jerks towards him, but Kanri speaks before he can ask anything. “He’s doing alright, though I have to say Gamzee is wearing him down. Never seen someone take torture like he does, though to Gamzee it’s not really torture. Not when he gets to cum screaming Gamzee’s name at least.”

Anger bubbles up in Rufioh’s chest at the words. 

“At least he won’t age with him, Gamzee being the demon of flesh and all. He’ll take good care of Tavros’s body, it’s just the mind he doesn’t seem to get. I wonder how long until he breaks.” Kankri reaches for the blood again and takes a languid drink. 

Rufioh digs his nails into his palms. He has no idea if what he is being told is even real or not. Kankri could be playing him, telling him things to get him riled up. But what if Kankri is telling him the truth? What if Gamzee really is raping his brother day in and day out?

“If I help you find this guy,” Rufioh starts as Kankri reaches for another piece of fruit. “You’ll help me get Tavros back? And when I say back, I mean help me get him back here. Help me get him home, and make it so that Gamzee can never touch him again.” 

Kankri lifts an apple to his mouth and takes a bite, sharp teeth flashing as he thinks. “I can’t break another demons contract,” Kankri replies with a swallow. “But I can help you work around it, or renegotiate it.”

“Can you help me make sure Gamzee never touches him again?” Rufioh asks.

“Possibly,” Kankri replies. “It depends on what Gamzee is willing to haggle down to if we can’t find a hole in his deal.” He takes another bite of apple. “Sorry, but that is the best I can do.”

Rufioh sits thinking; eyes downwards as he stares at the bowl that his bracelet had been in, now nothing but ash. So he may not even be able to get Tavros when he finds him? Would he have to make another deal? He thinks on it a moment longer as Kankri slowly eats his apple. He pictures Tavros somewhere dark, hands on him, and his blood boils.

“Where is this guy you want so bad?” he asks and lifts his head. 

“Is that a yes?” Kankri asks as he finishes off the last bite.

“Yes,” Rufioh replies. He doesn’t care if this deal damns him, if he can get Tavros back it will be worth it. “I help you find your guy, you help me get my little brother back.” Kankri smiles and goes to say something, but Rufioh continues. “But,” he adds. “If we can’t get him back, then I don’t owe you anything. You don’t get to use me anymore, and whoever it is I’m helping you get goes free again and you have to catch him yourself.” 

Kankri’s eyes flash bright. “Fine,” he says. “For my terms you will allow me passage between worlds whenever I wish.”

“As long as you don’t harm anyone, or myself, then I agree.” 

Kankri snears. “You really are a smart one aren’t you,” he says and picks up a pear. “I don’t know if I should be impressed or annoyed.” 

“Do we have a deal?” Rufioh asks. He feels about as annoyed as Kankri looks.

“Yes,” Kankri finally says.

“Good.” Rufioh goes to get up.

“Aren’t you going to seal the deal?” Kankri asks.

Rufioh pauses. “Seal it?” 

Kankri is leaning forwards in the circle. “Yes, Rufioh, seal it.” He sticks out his hand so it is just behind the line.

“Uh…” Rufioh reaches out towards the circle. The book had said that after a deal was struck it was safe to break the circle, and he had made it so that Kankri couldn’t hurt him. The second his hand breeches the circle Kankri pulls Rufioh to him. He isn’t expecting the kiss, nor is he expecting the heat of the tongue that pushes past his lips. Rufioh yanks back and swallows. Something hot burns down his throat to his stomach as he sits panting in the demons lap.

“The deal is set,” Kankri says as he sits with his arms around Rufioh’s neck. “Now,” he adds as he runs his hand through his hair. “The man, a boy really, I am looking for is named Cronus Ampora.”

Rufioh’s blood runs cold despite the very warm arms around him. He didn’t hear that right, he couldn’t have. 

“From the look on your face I am guessing you know of him.”

He nods slowly.

“Then you must have some idea of where he might be,” Kankri says with a very sharp smile. Rufioh sits very still in the demons arms while Kankri plays with his hair in one hand and runs a claw over his back. 

‘Last postcard I got from him was from Boston,’ echoes through his head. ‘No return address.’ Kankri’s claws scratch over his skull in an almost pleasing way, but Rufioh knows that if not for his deal they could shred him apart. Could leave scars over his eye. Rufioh looks up at him and feels himself start to shake. He can’t do this, he can’t tell him where Eridan is...but a deals a deal. He licks his lips with a dry tongue and croaks the word out.

“Yes.”

Kankri smiles at Rufioh and kisses his forehead. It burns.

‘Don’t go making deals with demons. They tend to go sour.’

What has he done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whatever stroy follows this one will not be happening for a while. I have many others that need to be finished, so please, be patient. I have six other stories that need to be finished and a full time intership this summer. I will start work on it after I finish at least 4 of the 6 currently in the works.
> 
> I do hope you all enjoyed this though, and thank you for reading.


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